Who is She?
by Fae Faythe
Summary: Everyone knows that Artemis, the newest member of the Young Justice team, has a dark past, but who, exactly, is she? And how did she get mixed up in the superhero game?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Young Justice or any of the characters

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><p>Artemis was fairly used to being picked on for her name. In retrospect, it was sort-of ridiculous. Seriously, whose mother names them after a Greek deity from a civilization that thrived a thousand years ago? Paula Crock, that's who. That being said, at only ten years old, Artemis had cultivated a tough skin. It took a <em>lot <em>to make her respond to something so trivial as petty insults, however, if it came to a fight, she was always ready for it.

Her twin, however, was a different story. Athena (clearly, their mother had had a thing for mythology when they'd been born) was tenderhearted, like their mother, and she favored her Vietnamese coloring as well. All raven hair and softly-curved eyes, Athena was kind and easily upset, which is why when she was entering fourth grade and a trio of girls decided to make her their new target while on the playground, she didn't know how to respond.

"Well, well, would you look at the charity case," one of the girls, a freckly redhead tittered. Growing up in the slums of Gotham, the Crock sisters didn't have lavish amounts of money like the aristocracy that ran the city, but their mother had scraped enough together to get them into one of the fanciest grammar schools in Gotham. On a scholarship. How, the girls weren't old enough to care.

"Hello," Athena said brightly, not realizing that the girl's words were meant to sting. "Would you like to swing with me?" she asked, gesturing to the three empty swings.

"Psh, right." Redhead scoffed. "Like we'd play with _you_. I heard that your family is so poor that your mom had to practically _beg_ Headmaster to let you and your thug sister in."

"No..." Athena said uncertainly, finally understanding that the girls weren't interested in being her friends. And what had they meant about her sister? Artemis, a thug? What did that even mean? "We applied and were accepted."

"That's not what I heard." Redhead trilled. The other two girls giggled maliciously.

"I think you heard wrong," Athena said tentatively. The girls stared.

"Wrong?" The girl to the right of Redhead snapped. "Listen up, _Athena_," she paused. "And what kind of name is that anyway?"

"The name my mom gave me?" It was more of a question.

"Oh, right. Sounds like your mom ran out of ideas. Or maybe she just wanted you to sound like a freak. What, was daddy not there to help her pick?"

Redhead leaned forward conspiratorially. "Were you a mistake?"

"A mistake?"

"Oh you poor dear," the girl _tsk_ed unconvincingly. "Athena, the mistake!" Without hesitating, the other girls took up the cry: "Athena the Mistake! Athena the Mistake!" A crowd formed, a group of jeering, laughing, struck-up rich kids who didn't want or need a reason to belittle a student who had less than they did.

Overwhelmed, Athena panicked. "Artemis!" she cried shrilly over the cacophony.

Even from across the playground, even masked by at least thirty unkind voices, Artemis could recognize her sister's voice. Immediately, she barreled across the wood-chip-covered ground and dove straight into the mob of fourth-graders, baring her elbows and shoving anyone who got in her way to the ground.

In contrast to her sister, Artemis was fair-haired and pale, her Vietnamese heritage showing only in her distinctive stormy-gray eyes; and unlike Athena, who was somehow oblivious to the hard life they lived, barely making the rent for their pathetically small apartment, Artemis knew that in their part of the city, the way to survive was through aggression, and by taking advantage the violence that always followed. It was an unusual philosophy in this place, the playpen for the wealthy businessmen and women to send their children, especially for a girl as young as Artemis, but it was what she lived by, and Artemis knew what she believed in.

"Get out of my way!" Artemis snarled, knocking a protesting boy in the school's mandated blue suit on his butt. "Move!" Finally, she broke into the very center of the circle where Athena sat in a disheveled heap, crying silently. "Who did this to you?" she whispered urgently to her sister. Athena, never one to want to hurt somebody, even if they'd hurt her first, said nothing, but Artemis noticed her eyes dart to the three girls standing in the innermost ring of the circle, the ones who'd started it all.

"Oh look, here is the thug herself to the rescue!" Redhead cried with glee.

"Did you do this to my sister?" Artemis snarled, coming face-to-face with the girl.

"What if I did?" Redhead laughed. "What are you going to do about it, Scholarship?" Without thinking Artemis cocked her fist and sent it flying right into the girl's freckled nose. Redhead screamed as if she'd been shot and clutched at her nose, trying to staunch the flow of blood. Someone – Artemis didn't see who – punched Artemis in the stomach, then the face and she knew that there were going to be vicious black and blue marks as memoirs of her first schoolyard fight. She fought back as hard as she could, shielding Athena from the churning mass of bodies as best she could but Artemis still heard her sister's occasional cry when a blow missed Artemis and landed on her instead.

After what felt like forever, after Artemis was battered and bloody but still fighting, some authority figure, maybe a teacher, possibly the vice principal, broke through the turmoil and tore Artemis away from the fray, Athena being dragged behind her in her sister's ironclad grip.

Apparently, the penalty for fighting was a week's suspension, as Artemis found out in the Headmaster's office a half-hour later. For both parties, whether they instigated the fight or not, whether they threw a single punch or not.

"That's not fair!" Artemis protested. Athena sat quietly. She hadn't said a word throughout the entire meeting, just stared at her hands meekly, wishing her mother was there. Mrs. Crock wasn't able to leave work, so she couldn't be there to defend her daughters, though she promised that they'd be duly punished when they got home. "She didn't do anything! Those girls were the ones who started the fight, that redhead and those two blondes!"

"Do you mean Missus Tate, Jones and Andreson? I've already spoken to them and they promised that it was your sister who started the verbal joust." Artemis wondered briefly if the man was even British, but going by his pretentious use of the world "joust," she doubted it.

"What, because their daddies' oh-so-generous donations are what fund your ridiculously overpriced suits?" Artemis spat out before she could stop herself. Her mom had always said her temper would be her downfall. In this case it seemed that she was right: the Headmaster's face darkened.

"That is none of your concern, Miss Crock, and if you don't want to be suspended for _two _weeks, you will learn to hold your tongue. In accordance with Gotham Grammar Secondary School's protocol, both you and your sister will not be allowed on school grounds for one week. My decision is final." He looked pointedly at Artemis, his tone indicating that the discussion was over.

Artemis grabbed her sister's hand and they left the office together. Athena tried to be invisible as they walked down the hall, hoping that if the other students didn't notice her, the whispers wouldn't reach her ears, but Artemis met all of the narrowed eyes with a deadly glare of her own. Nobody dared approach say anything to Athena, not with Artemis protecting her. They all knew that the scary Crock twin fought her way through a mob of people and held her own when they'd turned on her. Now, she had a reputation. Now, she was a fighter.

"Artemis, _con gái_, why did you have to start a fight?" Paula Crock lamented when she got home from her dismally low-paying job.

"I didn't." Artemis said stiffly, tired of explaining. Athena had been dismissed to the small bedroom that the twins shared, and had gone willingly, knowing that Artemis and their mother were going to have it out... _again_ and she didn't want to be around when her sister exploded. "They started it. I finished it."

"_Con gái_, I did not raise you to behave this way," Paula said, shaking her head, her Vietnamese accent becoming stronger as she got more and more emotional.

"On the contrary," a voice sounded from the doorway. Paula's head whipped up, her eyes wide, mouth forming a shocked O, and Artemis could only stare, for once not having a clever comment. "I think that's exactly how she should've been raised. My daughter's a fighter, Paula. She is her father's daughter." The man in the doorway was tall and imposing, at least six feet tall, with honey-colored hair that Artemis noticed matched her own. He was smiling in a self-satisfied way, the way someone would smile when a racehorse they've bet on rides its way to the winner's circle, like they knew it would happen all along, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. They were her eyes, Artemis realized. Steely gray and hard, made to convey great anger and hatred, or no emotion at all. The man stepped into the shabby apartment and knelt down in front of Artemis, so that they were eye-to-eye.

"Hiya, kiddo. My name's Lawrence Crock. I'm your father."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Young Justice or any of its characters. I wish, but it is not to be.

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><p>Artemis felt her muscles tensing even before she heard the footsteps, light and barely audible, but still there nonetheless. Her instincts were that good. She pivoted slowly, keeping her balance on the precariously thin ceiling beam and nocked an arrow, training it with a steady, practiced hand on the origin of the sound.<p>

In the five years since Artemis had met her father, everything had changed. For one thing, she was no longer an oddity, no longer a child. She'd grown into herself and at fifteen, Artemis was beautiful: blonde and fair-skinned with those slightly disconcerting almond-shaped gray eyes that were both mysterious and alluring. Guys wanted to date her, girls wanted to look like her, but Artemis could've cared less, because she hadn't just grown into herself since her estranged father's sudden arrival.

She'd been trained.

Artemis could remember the first night that Lawrence Crock had roused her in the early hours of the morning. It had been an adventure, and he'd promised to teach her how to defend herself. Artemis had jumped at the chance, believing that maybe her father _hadn't_ abandoned her when she and Athena had been born, maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe, Artemis hoped, her father was a good man after all.

At first the midnight sessions had been fun, Lawrence had gone slowly and allowed Artemis to learn at her own pace, but soon things were moving too slowly for him. Within a few weeks, the mantra of their time together was "keep up or be beaten up." And Artemis had been, repeatedly, always coming home exhausted and with some kind of nightmarish injury to show for her father-daughter bonding time.

Athena had been horrified when Artemis had finally caved to her sister's demands and told her about what she'd been doing at night, but when Artemis had tried to refuse training, Lawrence had become enraged, and he took it our on her mother. Unable to take her mother's screams, Artemis hastily agreed to continue working with her father.

Self defense turned to mixed martial arts, to archery, which transformed into knife-wielding and stealth. After three years, nightly training sessions gave way to unexpected and inconveniently-timed "tests," which often involved stealing. As Artemis grew older, her tasks got harder, from covering for her father while he interrogated some poor soul that had something her wanted, to killing people herself. It hadn't taken long for Artemis to realize that her father was nothing more than a mercenary and a murderer, and that he wanted her to follow in his blood-soaked footsteps.

"Never let your concentration waver." Artemis could hear her father's snarling voice in her head and snapped back to attention. She was here to get some kind of file off of a supercomputer that was somehow being used in this decrepit old warehouse. Thankfully, Lawrence had given her the tools to accomplish the task, as opposed to making her figure it out on her own. He must've really wanted the file, if he was willing to make Artemis's life easier. She'd stashed a USB drive that he'd given her in a hidden compartment in her quiver, one that had been modified and was now capable of completely wiping and downloading the contents of any hard-drive it came across.

The two men walked under Artemis and she swung around slowly, an arrow tracking them the entire time, not making a sound. Though she'd been trained in nearly every weapon her father could get his hands on (and many of them were on her person at that very moment), Artemis's primary weapon was the bow and arrow. Strong and stealthy, she'd taken to archery faster than to anything else, and it was the only part of her father's violently enforced boot camp that Artemis allowed herself to enjoy.

Silently, Artemis followed the men, tiptoeing over ceiling beams, figuring that they were bound to lead her to the computer.

"Do you think she's still following us?" one of the men whispered, his lips barely moving. Artemis tensed. Crap, they knew she was there. Crapcrapcrapcrap. Options raced through her head automatically: she could try and keep up the ruse, hoping that they would think that she'd stopped tailing them, or she could full out attack, right now.

Ironically enough, that choice was made for her. She hadn't made a single move when two figures burst through the door, one dressed in black and sporting a cowl, the other a young boy in brightly-colored Spandex. Artemis bit back a groan. Fantastic. The Caped Crusader and his underage sidekick, in the flesh. Right, because this is _exactly_ what I need right now, she thought. Actually, maybe it was...

While the goons were focused on the two newcomers, Artemis swung off of her ceiling beam and burst through the doors and into the next room, hoping against all hope that it lead to the supercomputer. The stakes in the game had just soared through the roof. She couldn't afford to let the Batman or his little pet bird see her. Artemis had to remain a ghost.

Somewhere, someone had answered her prayers. As she entered the room, Artemis was bombarded by the sight of three massive monitors, all connected to one keyboard and – there! Under one of the desks, the hard-drive. Diving for it, she jammed the USB drive into the data port, gentleness be damned. If the dynamic duo of Gotham – it's so-called _protectors_, though crime still ran rampant and the underbelly of the city was as bad as ever, maybe even worse – was after the tech on the computer, it had to be really important. Artemis had to get it and get out quickly.

"You know, you're kind of young to be working with the mob." The voice, young as it was, held a slightly mocking, superior tone that set Artemis's teeth on edge. She growled under her breath. This night just kept getting better and better.

"You're one to talk about age restrictions, Boy Wonder." The nickname was not a compliment. Artemis turned, glad for once that Lawrence had insisted she wore a mask and hide her unmistakable hair whenever out doing his dirty work – now she looked utterly indistinguishable from any other teenage girl – , and placed her hands on her hips, feigning nonchalance when, really, every muscle in her body was coiled tight, ready to spring into action. For the first time, Artemis saw the famous Robin in the flesh. He looked smaller than he did on T.V.; small and wiry, but obviously strong – at least for his age. A faint smile played on his lips and behind the mask, his blue eyes were gleeful. Artemis was starting to resent that.

"Touche. I haven't seen you around before...you new to the Life?" Robin asked, referring to Gotham slang for becoming a career criminal. Artemis was surprised that he would use the slum word, usually the Justice League was _so_ politically correct. It came with the tights, she supposed.

"You could say that," she said evasively, then, without warming, ducked under the desk again and snapped up the drive, now filled with whatever Lawrence had wanted. Springing into action himself, Batman's protégé hurled a birdarang, meaning to make her drop the USB drive, maybe startle her, or maybe latch onto her arm, it didn't really matter as long as she let go of the tiny file. Ha! Not a chance. Artemis deflected the projectile easily and shot an arrow at him in return. Robin had to dodge frantically out of the way in order to miss what could've been a devastating puncture wound in his chest. He assessed the masked girl with a new respect and wariness. Her reflexes were fast and she was a good shot, maybe even as good as Speedy. Who was she? Robin didn't get a chance to retaliate, as Batman chose that time to, inconveniently for him, bring the fight into the room. The bird had turned his back to the mysterious mobster girl for only half a second when fell sideways, clutching his shoulder and gasping in pain.

Artemis had taken the opportunity he'd presented her to lodge an arrow cleanly in his shoulder. She knew that she could've killed him easily, Artemis had had an open shot at his back and it would've been child's play to nail him in the heart, but maybe she didn't want to be a murderer like her father. Maybe it was her way of rebelling against his influence.

Even so, she wanted to get a message across to the sidekick, now lying in a pool of his own blood. And nothing screamed "leave me alone" like a wickedly barbed arrow in a person's upper arm. Artemis made her own arrows, using only a single barb, but the the tips were reinforced with steel so that they never dulled. Before swinging out the window to safety, Artemis couldn't help but look back into the fray. The Batman was dispatching the last of the goons that had assembled when he and his teenaged partner had made their entrance, but Robin had twisted and was staring straight at her, mouth taut, the smile gone, his eyes narrowed in pain. Artemis caught the boy's gaze, flashed him a two-fingered peace sign and then – she almost couldn't help it – blew him a kiss before jumping off the window's ledge and into the night.

Maybe Lawrence Crock had more of an influence on his daughter than she knew.

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><p>"Rough night?" Athena asked casually the next morning. Artemis had briefly fallen asleep eating her cereal and Athena had managed to wake her up before her sister's head landed in a bowl of Lucky Charms.<p>

Artemis groaned. "Like you read about." She hadn't been the only one to change in the past years. Athena, who'd always been pretty, was now absolutely gorgeous, all long legs and ebony hair. But Lawrence had ultimately left her alone, choosing Artemis to be his trainee, so Athena had remained the same kind, compassionate spirit that she had been, even in the fourth grade. Always there to lend a helping hand or tutor a confused student, Athena was liked by everyone at Gotham Academy, the prestigious high school she attended, who forgave her lack of a trust fund for her beauty and kindness.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The forbidden question was soft, whispered.

"You know I can't." Artemis answered bitterly. She'd seen the consequences firsthand when she disobeyed her father, and telling anyone, especially Athena, about her nightly gallivants through the city was a huge no-no. "Come on, you should go." Athena and Artemis no longer went to the same school, their mother couldn't afford double tuition to Gotham's most expensive high school, not even with them both on a scholarship, so Artemis had opted to attend Gotham North, the public high school, when the twins had graduated from junior high. Artemis figured that she owed her sister a good education. Besides, if her father had anything to do with it, Artemis figured that her future career options wouldn't require good schooling.

"Okay," Athena looked like she wanted to pursue the subject, but just cast her eyes downward and nodded, so that Artemis couldn't see the fear in her face. Athena lived in a constant state of fear that one night she would fall asleep and that Artemis wouldn't be there when she woke up. She didn't know exactly what her sister did every night, but she knew that their father, though she'd only met him twice, was a sadistic maniac, and whatever he was teaching Artemis, it wasn't good. "I'll see you after school." Artemis waved and the finished her cereal. Unlike Athena's school, Gotham North was within walking distance and she didn't have to take three buses in order to get to the "safer" part of Gotham City. Then again, walking in her hood was almost a surefire way to get mugged, so Artemis had opted to drive. Yes, she was fifteen, yes it was illegal, but what was anyone going to do about it? The mob ran her streets and the school could care less how she got there, as long as the freshman showed up for class on time.

"Hey, Crock, nice wheels!" a smarmy boy with greasy black hair called, whistling, when Artemis drove into the school's tiny parking lot with a red convertible sports car. "Who'd you steal it from?"

"Oh, go rob a Girl Scout, Rodriquez." Artemis snapped, jumping over the door and crossing her arms. Artemis was sensitive about her car...it was one of the few expensive possessions that she had that she _hadn't _stolen. Artemis worked in a neighborhood garage in her spare time and the owner, who was affectionately called Grease Monkey by everyone who did business with him, had let her keep the car if she fixed it up. Now it was hers, and it worked better than ever.

Across the lot, a a group of kids laughed at Rodriquez's expense.

"That's my girl!" Anna Henderson shouted. Artemis smiled at her friend. Yes, it was true, despite her tendency towards aggression and infamously sharp tongue, Artemis had accumulated a group of friends at her school, all tough like her, and all who knew what it was like to slum it.

"You'd better watch your back, Crock." Rodriquez snarled. Artemis scoffed.

"Right, like you would do anything, even if you had the chance. I'll make sure to sleep with one eye open." She knew that Rodriquez was nothing more than a bully and a coward, even among the poor Gotham kids, and if she stood up to him, he'd back off.

"Alright, everyone, get to class." The VP ordered, ushering into the building, then giving Artemis a glare. She smiled back sweetly. The vice principal hated her, mostly on speculation and inconclusive evidence because he didn't actually have any _proof_ that she was the one to set the chemisty lab on fire. Truthfully, it had been an accident, and not even her fault, when you thought about it. But that didn't make it any less hilarious.

"Girl, you missed a wicked party last night." Anna said, pouting. "Why didn't you show?"

"Yeah, Crock. You would've had a blast!" Nico, Anna's boyfriend, agreed.

"Family stuff." Artemis grumbled. Her friends, like her sister, knew nothing of what she did nightly, but her excuse was always the same.

"Damn, your family must have some _issues_ if you missed a party to deal with it." Gina, another member of their group said, oblivious to the urgent looks her friends were shooting her. They all knew that Artemis didn't talk about her family and the person who brought it up was sure to get a verbal beating.

"Name one family that doesn't." Artemis retorted. Thankfully, the Gina and the rest of them finally understood her tone and dropped it. They all had problems and they knew that Artemis had more than most of them.

The first half of the day went by slowly and uneventfully. Despite her obvious problem with authority, Artemis genuinely liked school, especially science and English – though those weren't often paired together. Biology, with her extensive knowledge of human anatomy (thank you, How to Kill A Human Being 101, complements of Lawrence Crock!), was a breeze and it was only through writing that Artemis allowed any of her pain – physical and mental – out into the open, though she usually trashed or burned her work after it was finished. Artemis couldn't have any evidence that she wasn't every bit as tough as she seemed survive to be used against her.

"Yo Crock!" Rodriquez called during lunch period. Artemis groaned. Hadn't she already dealt with him today? Did he really want to start Round Two here, in front of the entire student body and be publicly humiliated... _again_? "Doesn't your nerdy-ass sister go to that school?"

"What school?" Artemis said, snapping instantly to attention and then bristling at his insulting mention of Athena. Just because Rodriquez was a dumbass didn't mean that anyone who was smarter than your average vegetable was a nerd.

"Gotham Academy, duh! There's some guy in there, threatening kids." Artemis felt her blood run cold and she rushed up to the boy and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the cracked brick wall of the school.

"Who?" she hissed. "When?"

"I don't know, but the police were called a half hour ago. Apparently, when rich kids are being held hostage, it's a big deal. What's it to you?" Here he was, still trying to act in control when she had her forearm on his throat, pinning him to a wall. Unbelievable.

"That's my sister in there, you asshole!" she snarled and shoved him away. Artemis didn't care about the teachers who were converging on her for starting a fight, she didn't care if she got suspended again for ditching school. If Gotham Academy really was under siege, then Athena was in some kind of danger and Artemis had to help her. Staying in school wasn't even an option at that point. Maybe, she thought, finally, her father's lessons were going to come in handy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Young Justice or any of the characters...Cartoon Network and I are still going over the legal issues and if everything pans out the way I think it will, I'll have full ownership rights...never. Oh well, thank you, CN for crushing my hopes and dreams!

**Author's Note: **Thank you,**_ GrayAreas14_**, for writing my very first review! This is my very first fanfic and so I tip my metaphorical hat to you for reviewing! To everyone who's added me to their favorite stories/watch lists, you also get a metaphorical hat tip! Congradulations! Don't forget to review, I'm very eager to hear what you guys have to say about my story...

**Author's Note #2: **I don't know about you guys, but I've realized that my chapters have gotten progressively longer and I'm debating whether that has to do with the fact that I have so many ideas for one chaper or that I'm getting more and more long-winded. I'm personally hoping it's the former. OH! And I just figured out how to ADD author's notes and disclaimers and make it NOT look like it's a part of the actual story. That, my dear readers, is why you should always read the instructions before posting things...Now, ON THE WITH THE SHOW!  
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It only took ten minutes to drive out of the backwoods and into the nicer part of Gotham, when it should've taken at least thirty, but, then again, Artemis was driving like a maniac. She hadn't wasted any time running home and getting her bow, but she had several arrows stashed in the sleeve of her hoodie and there was a knife in her boot. She didn't want to have to use them, but if there was anyone threatening Athena, she _would_ kill them. There was no question about it.

When she finally arrived at the church-like building, Artemis found that breaking through the police's blockade was going to prove to be a little tricky, but she managed to climb some of the ivy that grew abundantly on the stone walls of the school and slipped in through a window.

"What's happening?" Artemis demanded, grabbing the first kid she saw by the arm. "Who's here?"

"I – I don't know. Some guy, he – he said that he's after Dick Grayson." The boy stammered, in shock and shaking. Grayson? Wasn't that Bruce Wayne's adopted kid? But wasn't he only thirteen? It took Artemis a minute to remember what she'd heard on television once: though Grayson was young, the kid was supposed to be a genius. What was some guy doing going after – oh. Artemis put it all together. Whoever was here, whoever was threatening the school was after the billionaire's ward to make a quick buck. If they successfully kidnapped the kid, they could ransom him for a _lot _of cash. Breathing heavily, Artemis released the boy and raced down the hallways, occasionally stopping to interrogate a student. From their scared reports, Artemis gathered that Grayson was trapped in the commons – along with some girl. Artemis's heart-rate quickened. She'd bet her life that "some girl" was Athena. Only her sister would so something so stupidly courageous to help someone else.

Artemis somehow found her way to the commons, a large open area where Athena told her everyone hung out and ate lunch. She entered silently, stopping dead at the voices ringing through the still air.

"Move aside, girl, or I will shoot you." That voice was so familiar. It couldn't be...no, it was impossible.

"No." Artemis knew that stubborn tone of voice anywhere. She heard it every time her sister wanted to take in some stray animal and she'd said no. Athena always ended up winning those arguments.

"Athena, don't!" That must've been Grayson. Why couldn't she just let them take him? Why did she have to be so damn _noble_? "Just let me go." Please, please listen to him. Artemis urged in her thoughts. Get out of the way! She crept a little closer so that she could clearly see Athena standing in front of a small boy with raven hair, both in the Gotham Academy mandated uniform, but she could not see the face of the man with the gun, nor gather anything about him from the back of his head. He was wearing a mask.

"No. I won't." Artemis saw that there was no fear on her sister's face, only fierce, protective determination. She was willing to die for a spoiled billionaire's adopted son. She was willing to _die_ for him!

"I'm giving you one last chance," the man with the gun said. "If you do not stand aside and let us take the boy, I will pull this trigger." Artemis heard the gun being cocked. No, she thought, standing up and rushing forward. _No!_

"No." Athena said with finality as her sister thought the same word. Artemis sped toward the gunman... faster, faster! She was going to make it, she _would_ make it!

A shot rang out and Athena cried, clutching her stomach, then crumpled. On the outside of the building, Artemis faintly heard the police burst through the front doors, as if from a long way away. When shots were fired, even the lax Gotham police would enter a hostage situation.

"Athena!" Artemis screamed, shoving the gunman out of her way, ignoring the fact that he could shoot her too. "Athena...Oh my God, _Athena_!" Artemis knelt by her sister and ripped off her jacket, trying to quash the nausea that churned in her stomach at the rosebud of crimson that was spreading on her twin's starched white blouse. She applied pressure to the wound, staring into Athena's eyes, willing her to hang on.

"Artie," Athena croaked, grabbing her sister's hand. "Don't worry about me...don't worry. I made my own decision. It – it was what I wanted... to do..."

"No, no, no! You are not going to die, dammit, Athena, you are not going to die!" Artemis said with vehemence.

"There's an ambulance on the way," Grayson said, kneeling next to Artemis. "Just keep applying pressure."

Artemis turned to the boy, her face livid, snarling. "Get away from us, get away! This was supposed to be you. She was protecting _you."_

"No..." Artemis's attention snapped back to her dying sister. "No, it's not his fault." Athena insisted, then suddenly twisted and convulsed, her back arcing, speaking proving to be too much of an effort, but Artemis never took her hands from her abdomen. "Artemis..." Athena said when the spasm ended. "Artemis, I love you...you – you're a good person." She paused, gathering her strength and squeezed her sister's hand, the one staunching the flow of blood. "You're better than you know...Artemis. You are better than him. You can be..." Could be what? Artemis screamed her sister's name, but she was fading fast.

"Don't leave me, Athena! Don't leave me!" Artemis shrieked, nearly beyond reason.

"The paramedics are coming!" Grayson told her urgently. "She can hang on until then, she has to!" But she couldn't. Artemis watched in horror as the light faded from her sister's eyes, and her hand dropped to the floor, bouncing once on the hard, cold stone before laying still.

As Artemis stared at the lifeless body that used to be her sister, she realized two things: one, death wasn't nearly as simple as she originally thought. When someone died, it held the destructive power of a nuclear bomb; it left everyone close enough to feel the shock-waves with gaping holes where that person used to be, left them reeling, hurting and hollow inside.

Two, someone was responsible for this. Artemis shot to her feet like she'd been yanked upward by invisible strings , so fast that Grayson actually jumped backwards at the suddenness of her movement. Artemis, possessed by a need to find out who'd done this to Athena, whirled around and scanned the common for the retreating figure. Seeing a tall man exiting through a side door into the school, Artemis gave chase, running faster than she ever had before.

She burst through the double doors, but the man was waiting for her. Artemis was strong, exceptionally so for a fifteen year old girl, but she was no match for a fully grown man. The killer slammed her into the wall roughly and Artemis could feel cold, unforgiving metal jabbing her in the stomach. You know what, she decided. Fine. She looked up into the man's eyes, the only thing visible behind the cliché ski mask. Shoot me, she challenged him. Shoot me! Artemis could see the man smiling.

"You're brave not to fear death. Almost as brave as your sister," he said. He was proud, commending her.

"Don't. Talk to me about my sister, murderer." Artemis snarled. The smile grew and the man lifted a hand and took off the mask.

It was Lawrence.

Her father had killed Athena.

"Dad?" Artemis choked on the word. "You – You killed her?"

"She was in the way. Now the mission has failed anyways." Lawrence shrugged off the death of his daughter – death by his own hands – like it was nothing to him, like it was just business. Artemis absolutely lost it, screaming and swearing, fighting with everything she had, every ounce of strength in her body. Fueled by pain and pure, unadulterated rage she managed to strike some feeble blows against her father before her raised the gun over her head, then smashed it down with the force of a small train, and she slumped back onto the wall, unable to hold herself up anymore. Artemis watched the blurry image of her father running down the hallway before the world spun wildly out of control and faded to black.

* * *

><p>"She's coming to," a clipped, professional voice was the first thing Artemis heard as she struggled to regain consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes, finding herself staring at the tin roof of an ambulance.<p>

"Hey, sweetheart," a paramedic said, smiling at her as she turned her head. "Everything is going to be okay. You're on your way to the hospital, okay? Do you remember anything? Anything at all?" The miniature, moving hospital was fuzzy and everything was distorted. Artemis could barely remember her own name, never mind how she'd gotten there. Had she gotten in a fight? Maybe Athena knew what happened. Yes, Artemis decided, Athena would fill her in. Wait a second...

The paramedics only had about two seconds of warning, just two seconds, to register Artemis's suddenly elevated heart-rate, her immediate spike in blood pressure before she went completely berserk. Apparently, there wasn't a protocol for when teenagers starting screaming like banshees and ripping IV drips out of their arms.

"Where is she?" Artemis cried, beyond panic now, beyond common sense and sanity. "Where is my sister?"

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, I need you to focus and calm down!" one of the paramedics yelled over her. Artemis ignored her and started trying to move the machines out of the way in her search for Athena. Where was she? Where were they hiding her? Artemis's need to find Athena was so all-consuming that she didn't even notice one of the paramedics rush to her side and jam a needle into her arm. It didn't take long for her to pass out.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry. God I am so, so sorry." Dick Grayson whispered to the unconscious girl on the hard hospital bed. Apparently, shortly after Athena's sister – Dick didn't even know her name – had sprinted after the killer, she'd been found, knocked out in the hallway. Had she tried to stop the masked man? Dick wondered. And even if she had, why didn't he shoot her as well? Why just knock her out? Those questions that were jumping around inside his skull just added to the guilt that weighed heavily on his heart. Why did he have to be Dick at a time when Robin might've been able to save the girl's sister? It was times like this – times when innocent people got hurt because Dick had to put himself, his and Bruce Wayne's secrets, first – that made living a double life really, <em>really<em> suck. What, he thought, was the point of being a hero if you couldn't save the people who needed you the most – and Athena had been trying to protect _him_...

"Master Dick?" Dick turned around and saw Alfred walk into the room. "Master Bruce has instructed me to bring you home for the night. He says that there's nothing more you can do at the time being."

"It's not what I can do, it's what I should've done." Dick muttered under his breath. Alfred raised a silvery eyebrow but didn't comment further.

Dick was uncharacteristically silent during the ride to Wayne Manor, staring silently out of the window of the Rolls Royce, watching as the scenery blended into a gray blur around him.

"Do you want anything for dinner, sir?" Alfred asked when they'd arrived, hoping that the prospect of food would brighten the boy's mood.

"No thanks, Al. Maybe later. I need to go find Bruce."

"He's in the Batcave, young master."

"Okay, thanks." Dick said and rushed off, struck by sudden inspiration.

"Good, you're here." Bruce said before Dick could utter a sound. Uh-oh, he was using his Batman voice. Something must be up, Dick thought. "I need you to watch the Cave while – " Dick saw the flashing red dot on one of the Cave's many computer monitors' map of Gotham and protested immediately.

"No. No way. I'm coming with you."

"You are still injured from the robbery last night." Dick stopped for a moment, wondering for the hundredth time in twenty-four hours who the girl was who'd shot him. Neither he, nor Batman had ever come across her before, and she wasn't it the Batcave's database, and yet she had the talent and reflexes of someone who'd been trained and using their skills for years.

Dick set his mouth stubbornly, coming back into the argument at hand. "I'm coming with you. I saw a girl die today because Dick Grayson is just a prep school kid who needs to be defended because his dad is Bruce Wayne, do you think that there's any chance _in hell_ that I'm going to pass up a chance for Robin to help someone who needs it? I can't fail someone else who needs me. Not again," he added softly. Bruce stared at his ward, eyes narrowed. He knew that living a double life could be difficult, especially for a kid, but Dick had never seemed to show any signs of resenting his role in protecting Gotham before. That girl's death must've really gotten to him.

"Fine, suit up. But don't get too involved. If Alfred has to stitch up that shoulder again he's going to demand an early retirement." Bruce said with a rare smile. Dick whooped and disappeared, reappearing a mere moment later, ready to kick some bad guy butt.

"Bank robbery on 7th and Main," Batman filled him in en route to the bank. The bank in question was close enough to the manor that they didn't take the usual car. Somehow, jumping over rooftops was far more satisfying. "You know the drill, just stay in the background and don't get too knocked around."

"Me? Get in the thick of things? Why ever would you assume I would do that?" Robin grinned, then vanished into the shadows, his eerie laugh echoing behind him. The Dark Knight shook his head, wondering how his protégé had ever gotten so dramatic, the sprang into action.

Robin scaled the bank's brick walls, and, finally, found a window that led inside. While all the goons were distracted by Batman, he could get a look around in here.

"Well, well, well looks like Daddy Bats finally let you out of your cage." Or not. Robin whirled, quickly taking in the hockey mask and bright thatch of blonde hair. Sportsmaster. Great. Robin had faced him before, but never without Batman, and damn, he was tough. Not to mention sadistic and ruthless.

"And the League of Shadows actually let you off your leash? I thought their policy was to put down rabid dogs." Robin shot back. Sportsmaster grinned behind his mask.

"You talk tough, kid, but you and Batty were a little too late last night. I'm sure you'll be glad to know that all the information is safe with me now. I know you worry about that kind of stuff, Boy Wonder." His derogatory use of the nickname sparked something from Robin's memory. The bird was tense and wary, but couldn't help but laugh. That was his thing, after all.

"You must be getting old, Sportsmaster, if you're sending girls to do your dirty work now. What, too slow to steal data from a couple of mobsters?" The cool, confident calm in Sportsmaster's eyes was replaced by bright, fiery anger impossibly fast, and Robin could see his eyes clouding with rage suddenly, like smoke sliding behind glass. Without warning, Sportsmaster exploded into action, striking out at Robin viciously, expecting to knock him flat on his back, but Batman had trained his protégé

better than that. Robin kicked one of his legs up, using the momentum to launch himself backwards into the air, effectively dodging Sportsmaster's attacks. The time for banter was over, Robin knew that, throwing two birdarangs as he flew through the air. Sportsmaster ducked away from one of the disks, but nabbed the other in midair and sent it spinning back towards its source. Now it was Robin's turn to duck and cover. Okay, he thought furiously, time to switch tactics. The boy quickly withdrew a Taser gun from his utility belt and shot two twin wires channeling intense amounts of electricity. Yes! Robin's aim had been dead on and – oh damn. Sportsmaster cackled and grabbed the wires, yanking Robin forwards by the wires and smashing him to the floor

The Boy Wonder didn't even have a chance to defend himself before Sportsmaster's foot stomped on his throat, sending pain ratcheting through his neck and skull and quickly cutting off the boy's oxygen. Robin kicked and struggled but he wasn't strong enough. Just when he was sure that he was going to pass out, Robin could breathe again. Sportsmaster hauled the boy to his feet and slammed him into the wall.

"Find the girl," Sportsmaster snarled into his ear, "and when you do, tell her that I'm coming for her." The mobster girl? Robin had the time for the single though before Sportsmaster shoved the boy away and ran down the hall. Robin tried to follow the man, but he was still weak and dizzy from the lack of oxygen and had only taken a couple of steps before he collapsed. Find the girl? Robin lifted himself up, using the wall as a brace. Find the girl who'd shot him in the shoulder and deliver a message from a sadistic mercenary. Fine, he grumbled, why not? All in a day's work.

* * *

><p>When Artemis woke up in a hospital bed, an unmoving one this time, she was surrounded by nurses, exclusively male nurses, she noticed. They wanted to make sure she wouldn't go crazy again, but Artemis knew better this time. Reeling in her emotions, lining her heart with steel, she acquired a clean bill of health from the doctor and was told that she would be contacted by the police regarding her sister's murder soon.<p>

"Thank you. Can I go home now?" Artemis asked stonily, her face completely closed off, giving away nothing.

The doctor nodded. "Have your guardian sign your discharge papers and you'll be free to go." He touched her arm lightly. "I'm sorry for your loss. We have a impressive array of grief counselors in Gotham...we could recommend one for you."

"Thank you." Artemis repeated, feeling the doctor's words open up a crack in her heart's steel casing. Naturally, as soon as the doctor had left Artemis forged her mother's signature and rushed out of the hospital. She couldn't bear to be surrounded by the smell of antiseptic and death for another second.

Unfortunately, Gotham General, the hospital that she'd been taken to, was too far away to walk home.

"You've got to be kidding me." Artemis muttered under her breath. She rushed around to the back of the building, locating the parking lot. Living where she did, every kid learned at a young age how to hot-wire a car, a practice that would serve her well now. Artemis couldn't tell why she was filled with such a sense of urgency, the doctor had told her that she'd been out for almost a day, it was now around noon, and Artemis knew that her mother would've already been informed by the authorities about Athena. So why did she feel the need to get home so quickly? Artemis thought back to her lessons – Grease Monkey was good for more than just teaching her how to fix up old cars – and located a beat-up pickup truck in a corner of the lot. Good, old cars weren't that hard to jump-start and you didn't need to pop the hood like on newer models. Artemis climbed into the front seat and tore the wires under the wheel out, then pressed the corresponding ones together until she saw a spark and the engine kicked in. Thank God, Artemis thought, shifting the car into gear and speeding out into the road.

"Mom?" Artemis called, bursting through the front door of their apartment. "Mom, where are you?" Artemis heard a faint moan and shot into the tiny kitchenette like a bullet, then bit back a scream. Her mother was lying on the cold tile floor, both her legs bent at grotesque angles. Paula was barely conscious, and by the still-drying blood Artemis could tell that the injuries were recent. By the time Artemis had called the police and was assured that an ambulance was on the way, her mother had succumbed to the pain. Artemis couldn't be here, she couldn't breathe. She stood and paced until a snatch of red caught her eye. There, on the white cabinets was a message:

"Who's your daddy?"

It was written in blood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Young Justice or any of the characters...most of them I actually stole from the Marvel universe...MWAHAHAHAHA!

**Author's Note: **Thank you to _**GrayAreas14, Coconuat (), Eastmangirl, and awesomeECG, **_for reviewing and everyone who added me to their watch list/favorites! I love your comments and if you have any questions, I'll reply, I promise! I'm not the author who ignores her fans...I love you guys!

**Author's Note #2: **Okay, I'm not entierly sure how this happened but Robin/Dick Grayson's point of view has been creeping into the story more and more as I write (I actually have waaaaay more chapters written than I'm posting), when originally it was supposed to be all about Artemis. He's a crafty one, that Robin...but I love him so I think I'll let it slide! Review and commment! Ask questions and tell me what you thin, I want to know, I promise! If you have a favorite line or quote, please post it in a review and tell me why! I try to make my characters witty and sarcastic and it would be awesome if you guys could give me feedback on that!

* * *

><p>"Let us remember Athena Grace Crock for the girl she was, a kind, compassionate soul who was taken before her time." It was a week after Athena's murder and six days after Lawrence Crock had brutally broken both of his ex-wife's legs.<p>

The funeral was funded by the ever-generous Wayne family. Apparently, Grayson had felt responsible for Athena's death and asked his daddy to take care of everything. Artemis had wanted to refuse them straight out, give the money back and tell Dick Grayson exactly where he could shove it. But their generosity apparently extended to paying her mother's medical bills. Thanks to them, Paula was recovering. In a wheelchair and in increasing amounts of pain, but recovering. And, because there having both your legs broken wasn't enough for one person who'd lost a daughter to handle, there was a chance that she'd never walk again, even if everything went perfectly, she'd be in physical therapy for years.

Artemis remained quiet during the funeral, not volunteering to say a eulogy, not shedding a tear when they showed her sister's body. She was steel. Nothing could touch her.

"Artemis?" She turned slowly at the soft, questioning voice. Artemis was thankful that the funeral was over, but the fact that the reception had to held in Wayne Manor was abhorrent to her. That, and the fact that the Gotham elite viewed the event as something to prove social status – hey, did you get invited to Wayne Manor for a funeral reception? Psh, no I don't know who died, but who cares? It's Wayne Manor! – rather than a chance to mourn her sister made her want to hit something – or, preferably, some_one_ – hard. Trying very, very hard to reign in her more violent feeling, Artemis turned.

"What?" Honestly, she wasn't trying to be hostile, she wasn't, but it was just difficult to be nice to the person who all but shot her sister. Although she had a whole host of a different kind of hatred for the man who actually had. If it was the last thing she did, Artemis was going to make her father pay for Athena's death.

"Artemis I – I'm sorry. I'm so – so sorry. I – " Grayson's words jumbled together and stumbled in a frantic effort to make it out of his mouth. The boy's blue eyes were dark and conflicted, and filled with pain that mirrored Artemis's own. She was actually surprised to see so much emotion there, most everyone at the funeral was unfamiliar with death, or murder. Artemis felt herself cracking, bit by bit and her eyes began to fill, losing their steely edge. No, she thought defiantly. No, I will not cry. Do not cry! Artemis ordered herself.

"Come on," Grayson tugged at her arm and Artemis, feeling herself coming apart, had no other option than to follow. The kid led her through a maze of hallways filled with antiques and knickknacks, each of which could probably pay the Crock's rent for a year. Finally, they entered a simply decorated room that was filled with gym equipment. And now just workout machines, either. Gymnastics stuff, too, like rings, bars to swing on and even a pommel horse. In one corner next to the rings there was a series of elevated circular platforms, maybe for navigating or balance practice. "This," Grayson explained, spreading his arms wide, "is the one place in the mansion that is all mine. I come here when I think about my family."

Artemis recognized his tone of voice. It was the one she'd been speaking in for the past week. Cold, indifferent. Dead. "Your family?" she'd known that he'd been orphaned when he was young, but Artemis had never really cared about the details. He was Wayne's kid now, what did his past matter to her?

"Yeah. My family and I were known as the Flying Graysons, a circus act that specialized in death-defying aerial stunts. All without safety nets or wires, of course." Grayson smiled slightly before his expression grew cloudy again. "But they were killed when a homicidal maniac tried to extort money from the circus. I was only eight and I watched them all die." At first, Artemis had no response, which was so unlike her that she started to laugh. All the anger, all the hurt melted into a bubble of slightly hysterical laughter that couldn't be contained. And then, to top it all off, Grayson earned yet another another brownie point by not looking offended, but simply laughing along with her.

When both teens could breathe again, Artemis smiled for the first time since Athena got shot.

"Thank you," she said to Grayson.

"You're welcome," Dick replied. But he was tired of all this moping. He grinned. "Why don't we ditch the rest of the reception and I show you some of the stunts we performed?"

"Oh, I have some tricks up my sleeve too, believe me." Artemis rose to the challenge, feeling a twinge in her gut for disregarding her sister's funeral reception. But no, she knew that Athena wouldn't want her to be miserable and babble about how sad she was with Gotham's finest, er, richest. Artemis was in no way forgetting her murder, and she was still hell-bent on revenge, but for now, she needed to _not_ be angry, or she might explode. And in her heart Artemis knew that Athena would approve.

"Ah, Master Dick, I thought I would find you in here." Artemis was so intent on keeping her balance that she hadn't noticed the old butler enter the room – at least, that's what she wanted Grayson to think. She knew that she could master the obstacle course he'd set up easily, what with her reflexes and skill, but she couldn't reveal that much of herself to the kid. The kid who she'd sworn to hate until the day she died just an hour earlier. Damn, she must've been going soft, to forgive him that easily. But Artemis knew that she'd found a kindred spirit in the teenage genius. He understood what she was going through. Not even her mother could claim that. Paula Crock had been told that she daughter had been shot by a would-be-kidnapper, but no one but Artemis knew the identity of the killer.

Snapping her head towards the source of the voice, Artemis lost her balance and tumbled towards the floor. She probably should've just let herself fall, but instinct took over and Artemis twisted in midair before landing neatly on her feet.

"Whoa!" Grayson exclaimed, launching himself off of the high beam and rushing up to her. "What are you, part cat?" Silently, Artemis berated herself, but she gave Grayson what she knew was an arrogant smile. Say what you wanted about her, but Artemis was one hell of an actress.

"Told you I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Well that, and I am extremely lucky."

"Oh, you brought Miss Crock." Alfred said, looking bemused. "I thought you might. Master Bruce has asked me to tell you, Miss Crock, that your mother is looking for you.

"Call me Artemis." Artemis said quickly, not liking the formality. "My name is Artemis. And I guess I'd better get going." Artemis turned to Grayson. "Thanks again." The boy nodded as Artemis thanked Alfred again and hurried out of the room.

"Artemis, _con gái, _where did you go to?" Paula demanded when her daughter reappeared beside her.

"Nowhere, Mom. I just took a walk." To her credit, Paula Crock was taking everything extremely well, a little too well, Artemis thought. She kept waiting for her mom to spontaneously combust or cry or at least do _something_. She'd been through hell and it had only been a week. Surely things were only going to get worse. "I needed to get away." Artemis said honestly. Her mother nodded, understanding. She knew her daughter resented the fact that Athena's funeral had turned into a media circus. Paula wasn't too happy about it herself, but she couldn't do anything about it, it was either mourn with the rich and elite, or bury her daughter in the backyard.

"Why don't you go and see if you can help clean up a bit, _con gái_?" Artemis nodded, happy to get out of the way of the rich people who wanted to console her poor, crippled mother. Like they really cared about her.

"I heard the Justice League had taken an interest in your family," one of the women said, a smile on her face that said her words were supposed to administer relief. Artemis snorted. Oh, praise the heavens, the Justice League would make all their troubles go away! Or...not. What were they supposed to do? And why would the so-called heroes have an interest in them anyway? The Crocks were a family that was down on their luck. That's the way they looked to the world and that's how it was going to stay. The League only cared about the big time crime, world threats, genocide, etc. But when it came to everyday things, they couldn't be bothered. Not even Batman really took care of the city he swore he was protecting, letting crime run rampant. Letting sadistic murders threaten and hurt their daughters and turn them into assassins. Letting them kill people who were only trying to help. People like Athena. She was the hero, not those posers running around in Spandex outfits.

However, it seemed that some of Gotham _was_ looking after the Crocks. Magically, Bruce Wayne had made the legal "can Paula Crock really handle a child she was just severely injured and lost a daughter" issue go away and Artemis didn't want any more attention from the authorities. She knew it was impossible, but she wanted everything to go back to the way it was a week ago, when her sister was alive, when her mother was healthy and when _she_ was the only one being hurt. God, to have everything go back to the way it was. I wish, Artemis thought wistfully.

It took a few minutes, but Artemis finally found Alfred in the crowd. She knew better than to go traipsing through Wayne Manor, she'd get lost, or shot by security. Obviously, Wayne was getting paranoid about people taking his expensive toys, because the reception guests were only allowed in certain areas of the mansion and the others were blocked off and locked. Artemis was dying to know what was beyond those doors and she might've been able to pick the locks, but the Secret Service-esque guys patrolling the corridors? Yeah, they might've been a little harder to evade. Not impossible, but definitely difficult.

"Ah, Miss Crock – "

"Artemis," she corrected automatically. Alfred smiled indulgently.

"Artemis. Did you successfully locate your mother?"

"I did, thanks. Is there – " Now it was his turn to cut her off.

"The staff is more than capable of handling any and all messes that they guests can make. You may enjoy yourself."

"Like _that's_ going to happen. This is a funeral reception, Al. My sister died. She was murdered and no one here cares! They all think its a big joke, a fun theme for a party." Artemis put on a high breathy voice. "Oh no, no one _actually_ died, its just a game! And funeral black is the new black, you know. It's all so stylish!" Artemis knew that she was ranting but all the calm the she'd felt when hanging out with Grayson had evaporated as soon as she'd stepped out of the gym. Now she was as angry as ever.

"Well if that is the case, there is a balcony just down the hall. I am sure that you can be alone there." Artemis nodded and walked away. "Oh, and Miss Artemis." He was a stubborn old man, wasn't he? "I believe there are at least three people unrelated to your sister who care that this is a funeral." Three? Grayson and him, maybe, but who else? Bruce Wayne? Artemis tried not to roll her eyes. The billionaire was doing them a favor because Grayson felt responsible for Athena's murder. Nothing more.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Al." Artemis ducked out of the way of two drunk party-goers and slipped out onto the balcony. The cool air was soothing and more than welcome after the stuffiness of the manor. There was a slight breeze, but it wasn't good enough. Artemis sized up the various decorative arches and columns, debating whether or not she could scale them without drawing any attention to herself. In the end, it was simple to find footholds in the stone and make her way to the roof. It only took about a minute. Emboldened by her stealthy ascent to the roof, she climbed higher, occasionally stopping to make sure she wasn't spotted. Finally, Artemis had reached the highest part of the roof: a miniature gazebo-like structure with a spire that shot upwards towards the sky. She latched onto the spire with one hand and hung off, feeling the wind in her face and loving the adrenaline-inducing height. For the first time in her life Artemis found herself wishing she was rich, just so she could spend hours upon hours on top of that roof. She and Athena had loved climbing up onto the fire escape on the side of their apartment and would hang out on the roof, sometimes all night. Paula had once woken up to find both of her daughters out of bed, having both fallen asleep on the roof, under the stars. After that, it became an almost monthly tradition.

But, in true Gotham fashion, Artemis's peace was shattered by the distant sound of sirens. Artemis almost smiled. Oh Gotham, she thought, you always come through for me. It wasn't even a decision, really. She was curious and restless. And it wasn't as if Artemis would be going to investigate without and kind of defense: she'd learned her lesson. Somehow, Lawrence Crock had gotten his hands on a collapsible bow, one that could fold in on itself to become practically unnoticeable. Artemis had never utilized it in its folded form before, thinking that it was stupid – and besides, when was she ever going to _want _to use the skills he forced on her? But now she knew that, well, she'd never know when she'd need to defend herself. Or someone else.

But she didn't only have her bow on her. Artemis had taken a leaf out of Boy Wonder's book and had added a miniature grappling gun to the list of "things she needed _at all times_." Well, that and a mask. Artemis stood and paused for a second. Would she be fast enough to find out what was going on and get back to the mansion without her mother worrying about her second mysterious absence of the evening? She contemplated that for a second, then dismissed it. The night was still young and there were a lot of people in there. She'd be fine. Breathing deeply, Artemis let go of the spire and started sprinting down the sloping roof. She'd have one chance and one chance only to launch herself off of the roof, aim and manage to swing herself up onto...something or other. Artemis wasn't exactly sure what was in the area, but hey, there was nothing wrong with improvisation. The jumping off the roof part went smoothly, but, naturally, there were no other building to swing on to, not even a guardhouse, only trees. Artemis didn't have any time to think, only react, or she'd smash against the pavement. She shot the grappling gun at one of the trees and swung herself onto one of the branches, whipping her hand out to grab the trunk for support. Artemis's face was stinging from getting slapped by branches, but thankfully, the mask dulled the brunt of the blows and kept her face from getting all scratched up. But she didn't stop, swinging from tree to tree until she was out of the high class neighborhood and back in the city. After pausing briefly to relocate the sounds of the sirens then took off again, running over rooftops and using window ledges as launchpads until she found the source of the alert: a high-end apartment building. Luckily, she was already at window-level, whereas the police were being held up in the lobby. From the ear-shattering alarm, Artemis knew that the apartment that was being robbed was a penthouse at the very top of the building. Artemis shot her grappling gun towards the roof and grinned when she heard the satisfying _clunk _that told her the hook had made purchase in the side of the building. Artemis yanked on the wire hard, then pressed a button that sent her flying upwards, then crashing through an ornately-decorated window.

"Holy sh – " Artemis cut off the thief's curse with a quick uppercut to his jaw, knocking him to the ground then kicking him in the head, rendering him unconscious. Artemis heard a noise and whipped her bow out, unfolding it and nocking an arrow in an instant. Someone in the shadows clapped, then laughed mockingly.

"Hey, kid." Artemis's blood ran cold. "Did you get my message?"

"Dad," she whispered. Then anger took over and Artemis shot arrow after arrow into the shadows, not knowing exactly where her target was, not caring either. Suddenly she was blindsided and shoved against the wall. Her breath exploded out of her lungs and she immediately starting kicking and struggling, trying to break free of her father's grip.

"So, you want to kill me?" Lawrence purred in her ear. Artemis shuddered but did not let her fear show.

"I killed before," she spat. "Or did you forget what you taught me, you soulless, murdering, son of a – " Lawrence punched his daughter across the jaw, silencing her momentarily. Unable to speak, barely able to breathe, Artemis did the only thing she could – she gathered up the blood in her mouth and spat in his face. Lawrence retracted his fist and was about to let fly when a razor-edged disk struck him from behind. Lawrence released his daughter and spun, then laughed wildly and fled, leaping through the shattered window and into the night. Artemis crumpled to the ground, then snapped her head up, glaring at her rescuer.

"It's funny." Artemis swore violently at the irritatingly familiar voice. Someone – God maybe – was absolutely trying to screw her over. "I thought I'd be seeing you again."

"Hilarious." Artemis snarled. Really? What were the odds that Robin would see her twice in one week? "Thank you for the daring rescue. You're my goddam hero." Slowly, she puller herself to her feet and probed her jaw. It hurt like hell, but luckily didn't seem to be broken. Robin grinned and gave a little bow. Artemis grinned savagely at the irony. "I thought you would've learned by now never to turn your back to me." She said, having an arrow trained on the bird by the time he'd straightened. "How's the shoulder healing up, bird boy?"

"It's great, thanks for your concern." Artemis almost laughed at his tone, then tensed, seeing the muscles in his arm contract and preparing herself to deflect the birdarang even before he'd thrown it. This one, though, she shot through the center, punched it clean through with a stringed arrow, then jerked it back towards her.

"Souvenir." Artemis said, saluting the Boy Wonder with his own weapon and then following her father out of the window. Robin fumed, pissed that she'd escaped again. That she'd bested him. _Again_! Damn, he wondered. Where did she come from?


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Young Justice. Because if I did, there would be more episdoes airing, already! I mean, sheesh!

**Author's Note: **I know, two chapters in one day, but I was just in my writing groove today! Everything really fell into place and I have a good idea where this story is going...thanks again **_GrayAreas14_**...you always review and it just about makes my day! So guys, take a leaf out of GrayAreas' book and review, tell me what you think! Any favorite lines? And how do you guys think I'm portraying Artemis? Review and let me know!

**Author's Note #2: **Oh, and to **_Coconuat ()_**, I regret to tell you that I will be loosly following the plotline of the TV show, but in a different way than you might think...read on and find out how I do it! To everyone else: message me a question and I'll be sure to answer it (unless, naturally, it contains a MAJOR spoil alert, in that case, I'll politely tell you to keep reading to find out)

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><p>Artemis gratefully took the ice pack that Alfred offered her. She'd arrived back at Wayne Manor in plenty of time, but the mark on her jaw was already turning an ugly, mottled yellow and purple color that was impossible to conceal without attracting some seriously unwanted attention to herself, so she'd claimed that she'd had had a little accident.<p>

"You have to be more careful, Miss Artemis. I believe I told you to go out on the balcony, not climb the bloody roof." Alfred said, almost sounding like he was scolding her. Then again, the guy had practically raised Bruce Wayne, and then must've played a significant role in taking care of Grayson as well. That kind of parental instinct didn't just go away overnight. Artemis grinned at the butler, then winced as pain lanced through her jaw.

"I must look like I got in a fist-fight." she mused, prodding the bruise again.

"If it makes you feel any better," Alfred said, "or if that's the kind of look that you are attracted to, the bruise is very becoming." Artemis stared and arched a blond eyebrow.

"Yeah, because the whole "I just got my ass kicked" look is what the guys are looking for. I think you're a little behind on the times, Al."

"Language, Miss Artemis," Alfred rebuked gently. "And I think it suits you."

"And I'm deciding whether or not to be insulted."

"Damn, Crock, what happened to your face?" Grayson asked, walking into the kitchen and spotting the blonde icing a wicked-looking bruise. "Get into a fight with one of the guests? I thought you had more self-control than that, even if you do hate well...all of them."

"What is it with your generation and profanity?" Alfred interjected. "There is no need to curse, Master Dick. And young Miss Artemis had an unfortunate fall off of the roof."

"And you were doing what, exactly, on the roof?"

"Would you believe me if I said I needed some air?"

"And of course the balcony wasn't enough for you." Artemis shrugged. "Do you have a death-wish?" Grayson froze, obviously recognizing his horrible choice of words.

"Athena loved being up high." Artemis said simply. "And I hate everyone here." She handed the ice pack back to Alfred. "Thanks for everything. Again." That said, Artemis walked out of the kitchen and again navigated the crowds to find her mother.

"Mom, I think it's time to leave."

"I know that you are unhappy, Artemis, but we – "

"No, if your daughter has had enough, she's had enough." Wow, who'd have thought that one of the richest, most powerful men in the world would be agreeing with her?

"Mister – Mister Wayne," Paula stammered.

"Please, call me Bruce." The billionaire gave her a winning smile that made Artemis want to gag. Everyone knew Bruce Wayne's reputation with women, as proven by the sickly-thin bottle-blonde that was hanging all over him. "And by all means, the reception is wrapping up anyway. Why don't you two go home. And I am very sorry for your loss. Would you like me to have my driver take you home?" Uh-oh, Blondie didn't like that. The supermodel pouted, sticking out her overly thick bottom lip, trying to get his attention again.

"No!" Artemis and Paula said, declining the offer at the same time, thought probably for different reasons. Artemis didn't want to take any more favors from this man; Paula was too embarrassed of where they lived to have someone in an expensive car drive them there.

"Thank you...Bruce. But we will be fine. My daughter is an excellent driver." Artemis hoped that Bruce didn't know how old she really was.

"Well good. You seem like a good kid, Artemis. But you might want to put something on that jaw." Artemis glared. "Take care of your mom." She nodded.

"Thank you," Paula repeated. "Thank you for everything." Mom, stop groveling. Please, stop talking now, Artemis pleaded mentally.

"Come on, Mom." Artemis said, wheeling her mother away from Bruce Wayne. "Let's go home."

The Crock women didn't make it back to their apartment until well after eleven and Paula had fallen sound asleep by then. Artemis quickly looked over her shoulder, making sure that no one was watching, then softly lifted her mother out of her wheelchair and upstairs into the lobby of the apartment, then took her into the elevator.

"Come on, Mom, don't you wake up on me now," Artemis whispered. "Just stay sleeping." Her muscles were killing her; swinging around of rooftops was harder than she thought. Maybe she didn't give Robin enough credit...then again, he was being annoyingly...everywhere. She was really going to have to lay low for a little while.

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><p>"So, who's your new friend?" Bruce asked Dick when all of the guests had left. Or, when she'd told them all to go home. Politely, of course, but still.<p>

"Artemis Crock. It was her sister who got shot... because of me." Bruce frowned, obviously Dick was still beating himself up over that. "I figured that I owed her one. Athena's death...it was my fault." Dick paused for a moment, then returned to his normal, cheery self. "Oh, and I checked out that penthouse robbery. It was Sportsmaster again, but he was gone before I could do anything." Bruce's eyes narrowed and Dick saw him slipping into Batman-mode.

"What's he after?" Bruce mused. "He wanted you, but to get to me, and then he robbed a bank and a penthouse, so he must need money. And _why_ did you let yourself get distracted long enough for him to get away?" Dick winced. He'd known Bruce – well, he was Batman, now – would be mad about that.

"That girl was there again, the mobster girl from the warehouse. She's good, really good. And she's connected to Sportsmaster somehow."

"Well if she's with him than odds are she's connected to the League of Shadows as well."

"I don't think so." Dick said. Bruce stared at him questioningly, waiting for the logic behind that statement. "She doesn't look like any Shadow we've ever come across. Her weapons are unique, but she isn't polished or as professional and I've never seen her kill anyone." She had the chance to kill me, twice, Dick thought, but he knew if he said anything that Batman would be furious. He was already on thin ice for letting her shoot him in the shoulder, it would be just plain stupid to tell him that she'd had the chance to do it again.

"Well, let's keep a lookout for this girl. If she is a Shadow, then we may be able to use her to get to Sportsmaster, or vice versa."

"Excellent." Dick said. He wanted another crack at the mobster girl. She'd shown him up twice, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.

* * *

><p>Artemis jerked awake, startled by a gentle weight on her shoulder. Withholding a scream, she jackknifed out of her bed, glaring down at...Aunt Jade?<p>

"Well, that's one way to get up in the morning." Jade Nguyen laughed at her niece's jumpy reaction.

"Aunt Jade? What are you doing here?" And why was she in Artemis's room? Jade had never been a real "family type," always traveling from place to place on business, visiting occasionally, and often bringing unique and expensive gifts, but never staying long.

"I heard about Athena." Jade's usually laughing, very pretty face hardened. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get here sooner, I was away on – "

"Business." Artemis chimed in with her. Though she hadn't seen her aunt on almost a year, Artemis wasn't surprised that Jade had rushed to Gotham after hearing of her niece's death. Athena always had been her favorite...then again, she was everyone's favorite. Artemis just couldn't top her genuine sweetness. Then again, she didn't really like people either, and she didn't really do "sweet," so the fact that everyone fawned over Athena was totally fine with her. "Yeah, you always say that. Does Mom know you're here?" Like she'd been called, Paula wheeled into Artemis's small bedroom, exclaiming in surprise when she saw her sister.

"Jade! _C__on em gái! _Little sister, it is so good to see you!" The two of them hugged, and started babbling in Vietnamese. Artemis knew a little of her mother's home language, but not enough to understand what they were saying, so she quietly snuck out of the room. As she left she threw one last look at the sisters chatting happily and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, maybe even jealousy. Paula and Jade were a whopping ten years apart but they looked identical in a way that Athena and Artemis never had. The both had classic Vietnamese features: inky-colored hair and coal-black, almond-shaped eyes. Though Artemis's mother wore no makeup and her face was worn with sadness, and Jade lines her eyes with simple black eyeliner and let her hair grow long and wild, they both, Artemis realized, shared an uncanny resemblance to Athena. Artemis sighed, hating that she was becoming so maudlin, seeing her sister everywhere, and in everyone.

Shockingly, Artemis realized when she finally tore her gaze away from the happy sisters, Jade had already made breakfast, utilizing the tiny kitchenette and had laid the spread of pancakes, bacon and eggs on the table where Artemis and her mother usually took their meals.

Huh, Aunt Jade, cooking? That was something she hadn't seen before. Then again, miracles _did_ happen occasionally, so it was within the realm of logic that Jade Nguyen, one-woman corporate tycoon, could make a breakfast that would make Betty Crocker throw down her apron in a fit of jealousy.

"Oh, hey, figures that you'd find the food." Jade grinned. "You always eat like you'll never get food again."

"I'm a growing girl," Artemis retorted, smiling. If there was one quality about her aunt that she really admired, it was her sarcasm. She and Artemis had been known to banter it out over the littlest details, swapping snarky remarks and comments, much to the chagrin of Paula or Athena, who were forced to watch, listen and, eventually, play referee and break up the verbal sparring match with a quick visit to the Internet to see who actually was right.

"And a young girl." Jade said, noting the time. "Shouldn't you be in school right about now? It's ten in the morning."

"Unfortunately, no."

"Wow," Jade said when Artemis didn't offer any more information. "Never thought I'd hear you say that you _wanted _to be in school. Why, did you get suspended?"

"Again?" Artemis grinned. Jade, like her, had a temper, and knew about her niece's tendency to get into fights. "No, I've been a good girl." She sobered and lost the smile. "The school let me off the hook for two weeks, so I could...how did they put it? 'Emotionally recuperate.'"

"Well. That sounds like complete and utter bullshi – "

"Jade! Stop encouraging my daughter's swearing habit." What was it with their generation and not liking swears? Artemis thought, thinking of Alfred.

"My apologies, big sister." Jade said, bowing slightly, but not before throwing her niece a covert wink.

"I saw that." Paula admonished.

"Saw what? Artemis, did you see anything, because I know that _I_ sure didn't see anything. Maybe your eyesight is going. You are getting old, _l?n ch? em_."

"I'm thirty five!" Paula protested. "I am not old! And you are acting like a child."

"You wound me." Jade said, putting a hand dramatically over her heart and stumbling backwards. Artemis laughed at her aunt's antics, though at twenty-five, she was more like a cousin to Artemis than an aunt, even if she was loaded and working in some high-end corporation. "And if you don't apologize this minute, I won't give Artemis her present."

Artemis played along with a smile, before turning to her mother, eyes wide and pleading. "Mother!" she cried. "Please don't deprive me of a gift from my wonderful Aunt Jade! Please, if I don't get said present, I don't know how I'll go on!" Artemis flung her arm over her forehead as if she would keel over any second from the utter horror of it all. Paula glared at the both of them before smiling.

"Sorry," she muttered, with mock petulance. Good thing too, because Artemis was about to explode from holding in her laughter for so long. "So where is this wonderful present?"

"Right here!" Jade trilled, setting an ornately wrapped package on the table. Artemis didn't hesitate, but tore open the wrapping paper, revealing a...bow? The bow was unlike anything she'd used before, made exclusively from what seemed to be bamboo, but decorated with brightly-colored designs and symbols that she knew the be Vietnamese. "I was in Vietnam recently and thought it would be perfect! You know, because of your name. Artemis, goddess of archery!" Oh, the irony. Artemis smiled, but her insides were twisting around the implications of the gift that her aunt probably didn't even realize. She'd been named after a goddess who went on rampages and killed anyone who had pissed her off recently. Her father had trained her to live up to her namesake, and now, Aunt Jade gave her a weapon. Maybe, Artemis thought, she really was destined to be an assassin. But she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind and grinned widely at Jade.

"Wow! This is so cool! I've always wanted to learn how to do archery!" Artemis gushed with what she hoped seemed like genuine enthusiasm. Jade looked at her strangely, then went on to explain how the bow was used in ancient times and provide another package, this one filled with arrows, though they were considerably more modern than the bow itself.

"Why have you brought so many arrows, Jade, if Artemis does not yet know how to use them?" Paula asked. Artemis studied her aunt, looking for some kind of hesitation, but she found none.

"It's silly, really, but I was sure I heard somewhere that Artemis already knew how to shoot. My mistake. But why not have extras handy, just in case you learn?" Jade turned to Artemis, smiling. Artemis returned the gesture, but something was off. She'd never told Jade that she knew how to use a bow, she'd never even talked to her about anything relatively serious before, so where did she hear that? And, more importantly, was she telling the truth? Because either she was one damn good liar, or she believed what she said. Artemis wavered between the two options, not knowing which was the right one.

Finally, the happy topics ran out, and the only thing to talk about was the horrific present situation.

"Do you know who did it?" Jade asked quietly, munching on a piece of bacon. "Do you know who killed Athena?" Paula tensed up, chewing slowly before speaking.

"The police say that they are looking into the case. But no, I do not know who..." she trailed off, unable to finish. I do, Artemis thought. I know who killed her.

"And you? Are you okay? What did the doctors say about your recovery?"

"Mister Wayne offered to take care of all of my expenses. The doctors say I should recover in time, but the injuries were extensive and I – I may not walk again."

"And, let me guess, Gotham's finest have no idea who did that to you either?" Jade snapped angrily. "What, can they do _anything_? Are they too busy hero-worshiping the Justice League to care what happens to you guys?" Artemis started. Her aunt had practically voiced exactly what she'd been thinking, just the day before.

"No, Jade, they are trying very hard. It – it is my fault...I am not very much help with the investigation. I do not remember much of anything that happened." Artemis ground her teeth, hating that her mother thought her injuries were her fault – she thought that she'd gotten in the way of a robbery. Apparently, she didn't question why anyone would try and rob them, but clung to the story that the police had fed her, unwilling to remember. Artemis wanted so badly to tell her mother that it wasn't her fault, it wasn't. It was Artemis's. And it wasn't a robbery, it was Lawrence Crock out to teach his daughter a lesson, but she couldn't without opening herself up for some incredibly hard to answer questions. As far as Paula knew, Lawrence hadn't had any contact with her daughter since the first meeting five years ago.

"No, Mom. You were brave. You and Athena were brave. It's not your fault that the police in this town are incompetent."

"Well what can you do in a city that glorifies a flying rat and allows a kid in a flashy costume to run around at all hours of the night?" Jade asked bitterly. Again, Artemis was startled. Was Jade reading her mind or something?

Eventually, Artemis stopped being able to stand all the talk of injuries and death...though that might've been because it was her fault. She quietly excused herself and fled to the fire escape, again looking to get up high. After about an hour of sitting in glorious silence with her thoughts, Jade clambered up onto the roof and sat next to her niece.

"I know." Jade whispered. Artemis tensed. Knew what? There were so many things that she'd done that Jade shouldn't know about.

"Know what?" Artemis asked innocently. But trying to convince someone that she was naive was the one act she'd never mastered.

"I know that you've been trained with a bow. I know that your dad taught you. I know that you've killed people. I know that Lawrence killed Athena and I know he hurt your sister. I know everything."

Artemis chose her words very carefully. "And what are you going to do with what you know?" she asked.

"I'm going to be impressed. You have an amazing array of abilities for someone so young. And I want to help. That bastard hurt my sister and killed my niece. I want him to pay to what he's done to you, what he's done to us. And I want you to help me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Dicclaimer: **I don't own any of the Young Justice characters...actually, now that I think about it, Athena is the only one that's mine. The rest are stolen...

**Author's Note:** I am thrilled with the visitor traffic to my story! Unfortuantely, Chapter 5 only got one review...which made me extremely sad (by the way, thanks _**xstoriexluvrx**_!) I was reading someone's profile today (I forget who) and I realized that I am one of a dying breed: I review EVERYTHING I read on this site because I knwo how happy I am when I get reviews! Tell me what you think!

**Author's Note #2: **Okay, so I've been stealing characters, but in this chapter, I actually had the audacity to steal a line, word-for-word from Young Justice, itself! The first three people to tell me who said the line and what episode it's from get's there very own character cameo in the story (just send me the info you want used) and I will write a one-shot for. You get complete poetic licence and I will try to make it AWESOME!

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><p>"How did you know – " Artemis burst out, too startled to think about her words any longer. Jade knew everything. <em>Everything<em>!

"I'm not a businesswoman, Artemis." Jade paused and smiled. "Well, I guess that in a weird kind of way I am."

"I don't understand." Artemis said, eying her aunt warily. If she'd been lying about her job for all those years, what else had she lied about?

"Maybe this will work better." Jade said, then whipped out two three-pronged knives. Artemis immediately went into defense-mode, recognizing the trident-like weapon with the middle prong distinctively longer than the other two. She ducked and unfolded her bow, preparing to parry the attacks.

"You're reflexes are good, but you only have your bow on you, am I right?" Jade asked, lunging forward. Artemis blocked her attacks, the knives sparking against the titanium alloy of her bow. Okay, it was official, her aunt was absolutely insane. Like, congratulations, you've got a one-way pass to Arkham insane. Artemis lost her concentration and Jade broke through her defenses, slashing her arm. If she'd been anyone else, Artemis would've cried out in pain, but she just clamped her mouth shut and firmly placed her head in the game.

"Never let your concentration waver." Jade advised, smiling. Artemis hissed.

"You sound like my father." Artemis snarled. "I _hate_ my father!" She jerked her bow, sending one of Jade's knives spinning across the roof.

"You're angry. Good. You need to learn how to channel that anger." You want channeled anger? Artemis thought angrily. I'll give it to you! She blew past Jade, who was expecting to to keep fighting on the offensive and launched herself at the uppermost part of the fire escape: a vertical pole that shot out over the narrow alley in the back of the building, latching on to it and swinging back towards her psychotic aunt, combat boots first. It would've been a beautiful technique...if it'd worked. But Jade dodged out of the way and didn't give Artemis a chance to regain her balance, forcing her to the ground, a knife at her throat.

"That was an inspired move. Very creative, good work."

"Who _are_ you?" Artemis spat.

"I'm Jade Nguyen. That part is true. But as for how I work...I think I'm more similar to the Batman – " her lip curled. " – than Oprah."

"So you're telling me that you're some kind of vigilante?"

"Yeah, something like that." Jade stuck out a hand and helped Artemis to her feet. "And I am seriously impressed by you. Your father is a murdering sadist, but he taught you well." Jade smiled. "Want to use those lessons against him?" Artemis stared at her aunt, the woman who'd lied to her for her entire life, who was armed and could kill her easily, and who claimed to be somewhat of a vigilante, then made her choice.

"Oh, hell yes."

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><p>"She's ba-ack." Robin cheered. After what felt like months of waiting for the mobster girl (though it had only been a couple of days) she'd appeared on their radar. A security camera outside a bank snapped a picture of her and another dark-haired woman wearing a grinning Mardi Gras mask running into a bank on Cherry Street only a couple of minutes before. He knew it was her because of the characteristic, ever-present bow, but her mask this time was different – a more simplistic checkered mask that concealed her eyes and then wore a kind of cowboy scarf over her head to cover her hair. She was smart, he gave her that.<p>

"Then let's go." Batman said solemnly.

The dynamic duo arrived at the bank in three minutes flat, approximately six minutes after Mob Girl and her new friend had entered the bank.

"The bank was already being robbed when they showed up," Batman told him. "I'll go after the thieves, you take the girl. And try not to let her get away this time." Robin nodded, then raced into the building, from the back, figuring that was where he'd find the girl.

"So, Cheshire, family loyalty finally kicking in?" Robin heard. Sportsmaster. He was here too? What was going on in Gotham?

"Not at all." A smooth voice answered lightly. "I've just gotten tired of living in your shadow, old man."

"And your plan is to what...stop my bank robbery?" Sportsmaster grinned behind her hockey mask. "I thought it would be more along the lines of trying to kill me."

"Oh no..."

"That's _my_ job!" The girl appeared out of nowhere, flying in with a series of incredible stabs and lunges with a curved knife. Okay, so she knew how to use a blade. Just add that to the list of things to be worried of, Robin thought. Sportsmaster seemed stunned at first, barely able to dodge the blows, sometimes not at all, receiving some nasty wounds on his arms and chest. She really was going to kill him. Robin realized that with unnerving certainty. He couldn't let her do that.

Robin sprang into action, throwing not one, not two, but tree birdarangs at the girl, who spun and twisted with scary agility.

"Oh, the Boy Wonder," the woman, Cheshire, said, sounding amused. "This is getting interesting." Cheshire...Cheshire, where had he heard of her before? Oh wait, wasn't she a newcomer to the League of Shadows? In an instant, he knew that he was right. Cheshire, master of knives and good with poisons...and she was in with Mob Girl. Fantastic.

"Quite." Sportsmaster said. He turned his attention away from the murderous girl and towards Robin.

"Is that really fair? Three on one?" he complained.

"This has nothing to do with you!" the girl snarled. "Get out of here."

"Sorry, can't do that." Robin said, backing up slowly.

"No, no I don't think you can." Cheshire hurled something, Robin couldn't make out what it was, and it stabbed through the fabric of his sleeve, piercing his skin and pinning the bird to the wall. Oh damn. "My boss isn't a fan of yours, kiddo." Cheshire purred. "So I think he'll be pleased with me for this. I might even get paid extra."

"That's funny, kitty-cat." Sportsmaster said. "We agree on something for a change." In an instant, the whole dynamic of the situation changed. Robin was no longer the predator, hoping to nail two birds with one stone, but the prey. He realized how little loyalty meant to these people, seeing how the two of them, who were clearly enemies were willing to work together to reach a common goal, even if one was set on killing the other. Only problem with that logic in this situation? His death was now the goal.

There was only one person missing.

"_Stop_!" Oh, there she was. But that not exactly what he'd expected her to say. Robin had bee anticipating something more along the lines of: "you guys hold him down while I stab him in the chest repeatedly." Mob Girl slid in front of him, finally wielding her bow, as opposed to the knife, two arrows nocked and ready to fly. What was she doing? Granted, he'd rather this be the case as opposed to her helping the two known assassins cut him up into little bitty pieces, but still, it was weird.

"This kid is not why we're here."

"So?" Cheshire asked sweetly. "Hasn't he been keeping you from getting what you want? Wouldn't it just be easier to eliminate him now as opposed to later?"

"No."

"You are as stubborn as she was." Sportsmaster laughed. Cheshire and Mob Girl tensed and from behind Robin could see the muscles in her arm quivering. A moment later Robin had a new-found appreciation for Batman's uncanny timing. The Dark Knight burst into the room before any of the assassins and one very volatile girl could do anything.

"Robin!" he exclaimed.

"And this situation has officially become too exciting." Cheshire said, a smile in her voice.

"Oh, screw it!" Robin heard Mob Girl whisper, then she let an arrow fly, nailing Sportsmaster in the chest. The man cried out and spun, but didn't yank the arrow out, which, unfortunately, was smart. If he'd tried to take out the projectile he would've torn himself up even more, and most likely would've bled out.

As soon as she shot the arrow, all hell broke loose. Batman dove towards the girl, probably thinking that she was going to kill Robin, and Cheshire turned on Sportsmaster. Robin lost sight of those two in the melee, because, naturally, armed guards decided that _just then_ would be the right time to make an entrance.

The girl turned towards him and yanked the knife out of his sleeve, pulling it out of his arm as well, though he could tell it was only a flesh wound, then licked her finger. Robin looked at her like she was insane – and he knew insane. The Joker and Robin went way back – but the girl narrowed her eyes.

"Crap." Mob Girl hissed. Batman was closing in, momentarily delayed by the guards, Cheshire and Sportsmaster, and Mob Girl spoke urgently. "The knife is poisoned. Let me go and meet me in Suicide Slum in one hour, or you're going to die." With that she spun away from him and right into Batman's unrelenting grip.

"You are very hard one to catch." Batman said, snapping a pair of handcuffs around her wrists.

"Oh," Mob Girl smiled. "You have no idea." Robin was in no way prepared for what she did next. The girl stomped, actually stomped, like a petulant child, on Batman's foot, then headbutted him in the chin. It wasn't enough to actually hurt the Caped Crusader, but he was surprised enough by her tactics to actually let her go. In all their time together, Robin had never seen him let go of someone he had in custody. Mob Girl danced away from Batman, then pulled a move that had taken _him_ years to master: she jumped into the air, tucked her legs in and swung her arms out from behind her back, under her legs, and then rushed out of the room behind Cheshire.

"Bye bye, Batty!" she called over her shoulder. "And I'll see _you_ later, bird boy."

* * *

><p>"What the hell was that?" Jade, or she might've still been Cheshire, demanded when they were a safe distance away. She'd managed to pick her niece's handcuffs with a slim knife that she'd had on her, then tossed them away, not wanting anything left for the cops to fingerprint.<p>

"That was not what I signed on for. I told you I wanted to get my father. Or whatever you called him, Sportsmaster, I don't care. He was my target and I got him. Killing the Batman's kid sidekick wasn't part of the plan."

"In this business," Jade snapped, "sometimes you have to forgo the plan and kill anyone who gets in your way, especially someone as freaking _annoying_ as the Boy Wonder!"

"Well if that's your business than you must be...oh." Suddenly it made sense. The willingness to kill, the affinity for lies and knives. Jade wasn't a vigilante, she was a gun for hire. "You're an assassin."

"And you're not? Don't kid yourself, Artemis. That's what your dad was training you to be and, honey, it's who you are. It's in your nature and in your genes. You can't help it." No, Artemis thought. That's not true. Athena's dying words came back to her. I am a good person, despite everything. I am better than my father.

But she couldn't voice her thoughts to Jade, because she needed her. At least for the moment.

"You're right." Artemis agreed. "It's who I am." Jade smiled and the two began to walk off, but Artemis had only taken a couple of steps before she stopped and slumped as a wave of nausea crashed over her head like a tidal wave.

"Oh dammit, Artemis, did you get cut?" Artemis nodded.

"Robin stabbed me when he freed himself."

"And yet _you_ were the one who wanted to let him live."

"Yeah, that was stupid." Artemis agreed. "Do you have an antidote?" Please say yes, please, _please_ say yes.

"Do I look like an idiot?" Jade asked. "Of course I have an antidote. Here," she whipped out a tiny silver vial out of her skirt pocket. "You're going to need two doses and there's four in here. Take one sip tonight and one tomorrow morning. But I'd keep the bottle, if I were you, just in case. I mean, if we're going to be working together, you might need some extra." Artemis nodded and gratefully took a swig from the bottle. The liquid burned like alcohol as it traveled down her throat, but she felt better afterward, though still not one-hundred percent. She got up and started heading towards her apartment, then looked back when she saw that Jade wasn't following.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked, hoping the exact opposite.

"No, sorry, I have to go...duty calls!" Jade laughed cheerfully, then melted into the shadows. Well, Artemis thought, that was where the Cheshire name came from. She'd never seen anyone vanish so completely before. Artemis walked home, just in case, to make sure that Jade wasn't watching her, then checked her watch. Nine minutes to ten, when she'd told Boy Wonder to meet her in Suicide Slum, one of the worst neighborhoods in Gotham, forgiving the Narrows, which was where she lived. It would've been so much easier to tell him to meet her there, but that would be too close to her apartment for comfort. It didn't matter that she didn't want to kill him, Artemis still didn't trust the protege of the Batman. Artemis checked quickly to make sure that her mom was asleep and tied her hair up in a bandanna and set off with the vial firmly set in her pocket.

Artemis made it to the Slum with three minutes and lounged lightly on a rusty old fire escape, alone with her thoughts until she heard a light footfall in the back of the alley.

"I know you're there. I can hear you," she called in sing-songy voice into the night, not bothering to be covert. It was a little early for the usual scum to be making there rounds around those parts and Artemis was confident that she could defend herself if anyone was around

"Yeah well I'm not feeling too hot." Robin said, limping into the dim light that the streetlights gave off.

"Wow, kid, you look like crap. Someone poison you or something?" Artemis asked, jumping off of the fire escape and onto the street. It was true, Robin's skin was sallow and grayish and his movements were obviously causing him pain. But she had to hand it to him, if he'd managed to walk all the way there, he was tougher than he looked.

"Oh ha ha. And who said you didn't have a sense of humor?"

"Well, that would be most of the known world, at least when I last checked, but that's beside the point. Here." Artemis tossed the kid the antidote, which he caught, then glared at her.

"And how do I know this won't just kill me faster?"

"Fine, you got me." Artemis strode over to him and snatched the bottle out of his hand. The sad part was that it was pathetically easy to break his grip. That stuff worked _fast._ "I know it won't kill you faster because I have to take it too." She took a sip and shuddered as the medicine scorched down her throat. "And they said you were supposed to be smart."

"Why do you..." He trailed off, finally putting everything together.

"You know, it's kind of fun watching you figure stuff out. Although it's taking far too long. So let me fill in the holes: I knew that Cheshire was using poisoned knives, saw that you got cut and then stabbed myself so she'd give me the antidote. Your welcome." Artemis rolled up her sleeve, showing him the cut that she'd made with Cheshire's knife when the Batman had handcuffed her, but she didn't give him the bottle back this time. "And, speaking of our current trust issues, Wonder Boy, how do I know that you didn't bring Daddy Bats with you?"

"You don't."

Artemis tensed, then flashed him a brilliant smile. "Oh, I figured that you'd show up. How's it going, Batty?"

"Give Robin the antidote." The Batman appeared out of what seemed to be nowhere, but Artemis knew that he'd be there. There was so hiding how sick Robin was from the world's greatest detective. But even so, she couldn't help but feel a little intimidated under his glare. Then again, that was the whole point of glaring, she supposed.

"And as soon as I give it to him, you'll arrest me. Do I look stupid to you?" Artemis crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. She couldn't let Batman know that he scared her.

"Stupid enough to poison my protege. And yes, you will be arrested." The Batman spoke with unnerving certainty.

"Okay, fine, I give in... that is, if you can catch me. Oh, but you should know that if I run now, the kid never gets the cure." Batman narrowed his eyes at the ultimatum and Artemis barely suppressed a shiver. She was playing a _very_ dangerous game.

Artemis shot a look at the kid, feeling sick when she saw how bad he looked. Robin was barely standing upright and she knew that in the end she'd end up giving him the medicine anyway. He was clearly getting worse my the second and she couldn't let him die. Not on her account, not when she could save him, no matter how infuriating he was.

"You will give me the antidote." Okay. That's it. Artemis had one chance and one chance only to get this right.

"Fine, take me in." Artemis hung her head, took two steps forward and then tossed the antidote into the air. For just a split second, both the Batman and Robin were focused on catching the bottle, and Artemis took her chance to slip through the door of the building behind her.

She stood still, unable to choose whether or not to run or stay, but pressed her ear against the door, making sure that they caught the bottle.

"Damn!" Batman swore. Wow. Artemis had never heard the Dark Knight curse before...she must've really been getting to him. Huh. Who knew a screwed up kid from the Narrows could cause Gotham's hero so much problems? She knew that she shouldn't have, but Artemis couldn't help feeling only the tiniest bit proud of herself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Young Justice or any of the characters. I wish...but yeah, I don't think it's in the future for me...at least that's what my psychic has told me as of yesterday...

**Author's Note: **It's been so long since I updated (I've been on vacation), but thanks to everyone who commented and reviewed, and added my stories to your watch lists, etc. Keep it up you guys, because I love getting feedback! Special thanks to _**redxink528, meg524, KF-AxxMexx, and Wheatieluv, **_for your reviews and support! Love you guys!

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><p>Artemis didn't realize the magnitude of what she'd done until the next day.<p>

Oh my God, she thought. I got him. I killed my father. Somewhere, Artemis hoped that Athena knew what she'd done for her. She hoped that her sister was at peace.

But not only that! She'd put her life on the line for a smarmy, impetuous barely-a-teenager – then she'd conned Gotham's hero in order to get away and keep from getting arrested. And yet, she still stayed to make sure that Robin had gotten the antidote, stayed behind that door and listened until the two heroes' footsteps had faded into the night.

And then there was Aunt Jade. Claimed vigilante, but an assassin in actuality. Plus, to top _that_ lovely surprise off, Jade expected Artemis to become her partner in crime. Literally. Artemis's head was spinning.

"Good morning sunshine!" Jade burst into the room, carrying a tray of fruit and cereal. Artemis smiled, trying to keep up the "I do want to be a ruthless killing machine, I do, I do!" act. In truth, she really had no idea why she wanted her aunt to think she was game, maybe she didn't want to die – yeah, that was probably it – but at the same time, she knew that Jade was in with something bad. Really bad. She'd been scary last night, actually anticipating the chance to disembowel Robin. And he was just a kid, for crying out loud! There was something, something in the back of her mind, nagging at her, insisting that she found out what Jade was up to, discover who she was working for. Because whoever it was, they were dangerous.

"Hey. How did business go last night?" Artemis asked Jade conspiratorially.

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Amen to that." Artemis grinned.

"So, you seem to have warmed up to the idea of following your fathers and my line of work pretty quickly." Jade said. Artemis nodded, she'd predicted that Jade would question her.

"It's like you said." Artemis shrugged. "I've killed before and I just shot my father. It's in my blood, so why should I bother trying to fight the inevitable?"

Jade looked at her proudly. "That is an excellent way to think about things. And besides," she said, waving a hand. "We won't be hurting anyone who doesn't deserve it. Lawrence had every right to die. You actually did the right thing, Artemis."

"I know I did. I believe in what I do, Aunt Jade, or I wouldn't do it at all." Artemis said, standing her ground, but on the inside she felt ill. Jade actually believed this stuff.

"You are a wonderful kid, Artemis. I think this is the beginning of what will be a beautiful and profitable partnership." Jade stuck out her hand and they shook.

Immediately after breakfast, Jade and Artemis began what she called "Assassination 101."

"The people I work for," Jade explained, "are interested in several things, death being only one of them. We also specialize in extortion, manipulation, and power broking, to name a few. I'm going to teach you how to be invisible. Not just be still and silent, but completely unnoticeable, untraceable. Nonexistent."

"And the point of that is...?"

"You need to become more than just a person. You need to become an idea." Suddenly, Jade launched into action, no knives this time, hand-to-hand. Artemis turned and blocked, then threw out some punches of her own.

"An idea. What happens – " Punch. " – when I'm an idea?" Block. Counterstrike.

"You can control fear. You can – " Quick uppercut. " – be a legend." Artemis gasped as she was knocked to the ground, the air driven from her lungs.

"A legend." Artemis grinned up at Jade. "Might as well. I've already got the name for it." She jumped to her feet and attacked. Let's do this.

* * *

><p>"Okay Bats, what's the problem?" Green Arrow asked tersely. He'd been seriously on edge lately. Speedy had all but disappeared, and the archer was worried about his ex-sidekick – partner, he corrected after a pause. GA knew how much Speedy had hated being called a sidekick. Was that the reason he ran away from the Hall of Justice? Because he felt like he hadn't been given the respect he deserved?<p>

"We have a problem. But I want to keep it quiet, for right now." Now Green Arrow knew something was up. The Dark Knight giving _him_ classified intel? That just didn't make sense. Not that they hated each-other, but Batman and Green Arrow had always had very different outlooks when it came to League business...and their proteges.

"So this is off the books? I'm intrigued."

"This girl – " as Batman spoke, pictures appeared on one of the monitors looming above them. " – we don't know her name and she doesn't have a codename, as far we know – has been causing problems all over Gotham."

"Is she a Shadow?" Green Arrow asked immediately. Usually the people that the Batman couldn't handle, especially on his own turf, were in with the League of Shadows.

"I don't know. She's competent with an array of weapons, including knives and Robin says that she's used a grappling gun successfully. However, her number one weapon seems to be a bow and arrow." Oh, so that's why Bats had called him.

"And that's where I come in." Green Arrow guessed. "You want me to get past the bow so you can take her down."

"Not exactly." Batman said. GA cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think she's an assassin. For what I can tell, the girl is only about fifteen and she has connections to both Sportsmaster and Cheshire, a known assassin with the Shadows."

"And even with all these connections, you still don't think that she's a Shadow?"

"For one thing, she's too young. They don't recruit kids. And for another thing, she _protected _Robin from Sportsmaster and Cheshire."

"What?" Green Arrow asked. That didn't add up. A girl who was obviously trained and had connections to the League of Shadows, who was good enough to evade the Dark Knight and was clearly just a teenager, and yet when given the chance to kill the Boy Wonder, she passed it up? Who _was_ this girl?

"Robin was being attacked by both Shadows and the girl put herself in between them and him, even though she had come with Cheshire, with the intent to kill Sportsmaster. We don't know yet if she succeeded."

"Did you think that she could've been playing an angle? To get to you or Robin?"

"No. Because the first time they met, she put an arrow through his shoulder. And the knife that the assassin got Robin with was poisoned. The girl stabbed herself to get the antidote from Cheshire, then gave it to him. Shortly after which she escaped." Now Green Arrow was really confused. What were the girl's motives? What side was she on?

"So do you think that she can be turned?"

"That's the idea. And seeing that you missing one sidekick..."

"You want her to replace Speedy?" GA tried not to be angry. From everything Batman had told him, this girl could be an invaluable asset to the the Team, but he didn't want her to take Speedy's place.

"No. I want you to be her mentor, if she agrees to be turned. Teach her about League protocols and get any information she has about the Shadows."

"And how are we going to do this. I'll assume that it will be covert."

"You are correct. As far as I can figure, Cheshire is her mentor. And we know where Cheshire is headed next."

"I want in." Both Batman and Green Arrow whirled, their eyes falling on Robin.

"I thought this place was secure." GA said accusingly.

"Same system as the Batcave." Robin said. "And Batman, I was the one to find her, I'm the one she tried to save. I'm in this and I want to help." Batman stared at his protege, but Robin didn't back down.

"Fine. But if you get hurt – or get in the way – you get out. Fast. Just because she saved you once doesn't mean she'll do it again if her back is against the wall."

"When do I ever get in the way?" Robin asked, smirking. Batman glared at him and Robin relented this time. He got what he wanted after all. "Alright, alright. So where is this going to go down? And who's the target?"

"Your neck of the woods. Happy Harbor, Rhode Island." Batman turned to Green Arrow. "You are not going to like this."

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><p>"We're going <em>where<em>?" Artemis demanded. The classes had only been going for a couple of days before Jade told her they had an assignment, but with all of her previous experience, there really wasn't anything else that Jade could teach her. In fact, it wasn't very long before Artemis was winning their little sparring matches.

"Rhode Island. My boss has a target for us in this rinky-dink town called Happy Harbor – and he says if you pull this off, you get full membership. Just one tiny little job and you're golden!" The sad part? Jade actually sounded psyched about getting her niece in with a group of assassins.

"Okay, so what's the job?"

"We've been having some problems with an archer. Actually, he's a lot like you, except you're playing for the right team. He's Green Arrow's old sidekick, but apparently, the kid went solo and now he's been making trouble for us. It's a quick elimination job. Should be no problem."

"When are we heading out?" Artemis really wasn't looking forward to this. She'd never planned this far ahead, she'd figured that training would last longer. What was she going to do? She could kill a League boy – although when Jade handed her a picture of the target he looked more like a freshman or sophomore in college than a teenager – and get in with whoever Jade's boss was, possibly saving more lives, or help a fellow archer.

"I already talked with your mom...so I'd say right about now! And don't worry. Paula thinks that it'll be good for you to get out of the house for a little while."

"Will we be gone for more than a few days?"

"No, I think we should be home tomorrow morning. Just grab a pair of pajamas and I have an outfit for you in the car. Bring your bow."

"Got it!" Artemis said, hiking up the excitement in her voice. She rushed into her room and quickly packed a bag full of her equipment.

"It is so good that you and your aunt are spending quality time together. I am surprised that she has stayed this long. Maybe to honor Athena." No, Mom, to try and get me to become a murdering maniac, Artemis thought. But she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm glad we got to hang out. And you seem to be doing better too."

"Yes, I am much better. The doctors say that I am progressing very well." Artemis's stomach twisted. She had been so preoccupied with her own issues that she hadn't been paying attention to her mother. She'd been so focused on revenge that she had been ignoring her. "But do not worry about me. I will be fine by myself for a couple of days. Go and have fun with Jade."

"Okay I will, thanks Mom." Artemis hugged her mother and waved, then shouldered her bad and met Jade in the lobby.

"You ready?" Jade asked, sounding like an excited child on Christmas morning.

"Yes. Let's do this!" Whooping like sorority sisters on the way to a party, the two screamed out of the Narrows and started their road trip from hell to Rhode Island.

"Let's do this!" Robin said excitedly. He, Batman and Green Arrow were staked out in the warehouse where Speedy – or Red Arrow, whatever he called himself now – was supposed to be busting up a Shadow-initiated drug shipment. Batman had credible intel that said that Speedy was Cheshire's next target and that she would be here – with the girl – within a couple of minutes.

"Robin." The Batman snapped, shutting his sidekick up quickly. "There they are." The girl and Cheshire entered the warehouse, all weapons drawn, and it was both fascinating and extremely disconcerting to watch them move. They covered each-others backs naturally, seamlessly, playing up their strengths, protecting their weaknesses. Robin wondered for a moment if he'd been wrong, what if the girl had been playing an angle when she gave him the antidote? He'd always thought that he was a good judge of character, but had he been wrong? She was so intense, even from his perch on one of the many stacks of crates Robin could see the focus in her eyes. Mob Girl was dead set on something, that was for sure.

"She's looking for something." Green Arrow murmured. "They're looking for Roy." He nocked an arrow and then let it fly. As predicted, Cheshire spun and knocked it out of the air, swatting it aside with her three-pronged knife.

"We're under attack!" she hissed, spinning, catlike, out of the way of another volley of arrows. The two split and Mob Girl crouched and sent a counterattack flying towards Green Arrow, who had to duck out of the way, barely dodging what would've been an arrow in the forehead.

"Damn, she is good," he told Batman.

"Keep them apart." Batman ordered. GA nodded, then looked for Robin, thinking that he'd be backing of the Dark Knight, but the boy was gone, his laugh echoing around the warehouse.

"Boy Wonder is here." Cheshire laughed, a sound filled with malice that send a shudder down Robin's spine. "Oh," her voice darkened. "I do not like getting played." Robin hurled two birdarangs, one sharp, the other rigged with smoke, then raced to the other side of the warehouse, trying to keep the assassin distracted, while Batman and GA worked on Mob Girl. "Where are you, little birdie?" Cheshire called. "Come out, come out wherever you are. I think we have unfinished business, you and I." Suddenly, Robin's smokescreen turned against him, and he lost sight of Cheshire. A firm hand clamped over his mouth and pulled him into a corner, behind a stack of crates. Robin tenses, prepared to fight back, hard, then stopped when he heard his assailant's voice.

"Are you people trying to get killed?" Mob Girl whispered, spinning the Boy Wonder so that they were face-to-face. She was in an entirely different getup this time: an ink-black ninja costume complete with a face mask that only revealed her eyes. Robin, being close enough for the first time, noticed that they were slate gray, and right now, looked royally pissed. "I mean, seriously! Kid, she _wants to kill you_. Badly. If Cheshire stabbed you through the chest right now, I think it would just about make her week. Now stay here and stay out of the way!" Because she had to add insult to injury, Mob Girl left him standing, pinned to the wall by two of her arrows, and unable to call out for help for fear of attracting Cheshire's attention.

"Cheshire, help!" Robin heard Mob Girl cry from a little ways away, genuine panic in her voice. Batman and Green Arrow must've cornered her. Robin heard the assassin hiss, a little too close for comfort and then the sound of fast footsteps. Wait, had the girl faked her panic, attracting the attention of both League members as well as the Shadow's, just to get her away from him? The thought was sobering, but for the moment, he was safe.

"Cheshire, help!" Artemis yelled, trying to infuse as much fear into her voice as possible. Not exactly that hard, what with Batman and an archer here, most likely trying to arrest her again, but she needed to get her aunt away from the Boy Wonder. If she made it out of this in one piece and not in handcuffs, that boy was going to owe her a _lot_ of favors. And Artemis was damn sure that she was going to collect. A batarang flew out of the smoke, which had been compliments of Robin – that was something else to thank him for, not being able to freaking see! – and Artemis dropped to the concrete floor to keep from getting nailed. But it wasn't the Dark Knight who appeared out of the mist, but a man wearing the standard superhero mask and a weird Jedi/ancient traveler's outfit that was entirely green. Oh, and to make things interesting, he had a bow. Lovely.

"Who are you?" Artemis asked bluntly.

"I could ask you the same question." The green dude said calmly, shooting an arrow straight at her chest. Artemis knocked it way with her bow, dancing a little closer to the man. If he was an archer, chances were he wasn't that great at hand-to-hand combat. She was counting on that.

"Well I am the ninja girl with the bow. What do you call yourself, Obi Wan or Yoda?" Artemis dodged another arrow, then popped back up again. "Because the look is very Jedi Master, but come on, man, when they told you that green was the new black, they _lied_." There! Finally, he was close enough. Artemis slung her bow over her shoulder and punched the man right in the jaw. For a second he stumbled, caught off guard, before jumping right back into the fight. Artemis watched him warily, and they stepped around each-other in a circle, matching the others movements step by step.

Where was Cheshire? Artemis wondered briefly, allowing herself to be distracted for a second, just a single second. But that second proved to be her undoing. Somehow Obi Wan got far enough away to shoot an arrow that was tricked out with a net, which, in itself, would've been awesome. The downside? Yeah, she was the one who was getting caught.

"Oh, God _dammit_!" Artemis swore, writhing and twisting, trying to break free while the Jedi Master stood over her. Clearly, that wasn't going to get out on her own anytime soon, so Cheshire was her only hope.

And that hope was dashed as she saw the familiar Mardi Gras masked face being chased by Batman, leaping over crates with ease, then vanishing out of one of the warehouse's windows, all without looking back once. Now Artemis really was on her own.

"Thanks a lot, Auntie." Artemis snarled under her breath. She slipped one of her arrows out of the quiver and was desperately trying to saw away at the net, but the stupid thing was reinforced with some kind of metal, because it would not break!

"So, you're partner abandoned you." The Batman said, suddenly next to Obi Wan Kenobi.

"She's not my partner, you self-important ass! What, you think because she drags me places that I'm in with her? Go ask your sidekick. I've had so many chances to kill him it's not even funny anymore, and you people still won't leave me alone!"

"You're dangerous to have on the streets."

"And you're not? You dress up like a flying rat and then call yourself a hero. Mhmm, you got me Batty, _I'm_ the dangerous one here."

"You tried to kill Robin." The Batman said, like that was the final straw, the last argument. Artemis couldn't help but laugh. The Bat's eyes narrowed, but she only laughed harder.

"Oh please, didn't you hear a word I said? He's fine, I kept him out of danger. And besides, if I was trying to kill him, he'd be dead already. As a hero, eh, you're alright, but you suck as a father." Apparently, that hit a nerve, because the Batman stood rigid.

"Okay, I'm done talking."

"Fine," Artemis said sweetly. "Because I'm free." When the arrows had failed, Artemis had taken one of Cheshire's knives and used it to break through the roping that confined her. She chucked the knife as a distraction, than ran. Screw bravado, all the sarcasm had been a ploy to keep them distracted while she freed herself, but now she had to get out!

Somewhere behind her, there was a the familiar hiss that always accompanied aerosol, and then it was hard to breathe. Suddenly, the Batman was everywhere at once, with his trusty sidekick, Yoda. Artemis spun, but wherever she turned, there they were. She tried to run, but the warehouse tilted sideways when she took a step. What the hell...?

Then the whole room swirled, turning black and dissolving.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't (unfortunately) own Young Justice or any of the character. Athena, on the other hand, is mine.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I got some great feedback this chapter and I encourage it 100%! Also, special thanks to **_GrayAreas14__**,** videoezy2, haylin , redxink528, Alithia, Wheatieluv, KF-AxxMexx, and walterrob43_**! You guys rock!

**Author's Note Numero Dos: **This chapter is fondly dedicated to _**GrayAreas14**_, who always reviews without fail and was actually my 1st reviewer EVER in my FanFic life and to **_videoezy2_**, hope this chapter keeps you alive until I post another! ;)

**Author's Note #3 (wow I'm long-winded today!): **My last chapter got me to 22 reviews! Woot for you guys who review! Yay! Let's try to make it even more this chapter, okay? Keep it up!

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><p>When Artemis woke up, the first thing she noticed was the she could breathe. Her mask was off. Then, the past night's events flooded into her memory like a tidal wave – everything, from saving Boy Wonder's butt (again!) to getting gassed. Oh God, I was drugged! Artemis thought wildly. She touched her face with her fingertips. And now they know what I look like. They can track me – they'll know everything. No, no, no! She should've never let Cheshire talk her into going to Rhode Island...crappy small state anyway. And now she was completely screwed over! Where was her mother? Had she been arrested too? Or questioned about her crazy assassin daughter? What would she think? Was she okay? All of the questions slammed into each-other, all of them fighting for attention and just ended up becoming one garbled mess inside her head. Artemis's breath came in short, quick gasps and she forced herself to calm down. No doubt they were watching her at that very moment and she couldn't look weak. Artemis tried to stand and stretch her legs, but she was tethered to the bed by a pair of handcuffs. Oh, that was so not happening. Always come prepared, Jade had warned her, pinning her long blonde hair up with some thin, sharp spikes. You never know when you're going to have to pick a lock. Well, that's one thing to thank her for, Artemis thought bitterly, remembering her aunt's treacherous escape, leaving her at the mercy of the Justice League boys. She slipped the pin out, letting her blonde hair cascade down her shoulders then went to work picking the lock. It didn't take very long, but jeez, that thing had been on tight! Artemis rubbed some feeling back into her wrist, then stood and explored her space.<p>

It wasn't much. Only about fifteen paces long, ten paces wide, with one cot and a security camera in the corner. Artemis stared at the evil red eye, knowing that she was being recorded, then waved with her formerly-restrained hand. To the naked eye, it appeared that there was no door, but Artemis ran her hands along the walls, finally coming across a ridge across from the cot. She took a moment to be impressed. The door was so flush with the whitewashed walls that it had seemed invisible. Now to get out of here, Artemis thought. A little nagging voice in the back of her mind told Artemis that trying to escape was futile; they already knew what she looked like and could easily find her again. Artemis smacked that little voice upside the head, told it to shut up and focused even harder on trying to get out of the little white box. With difficulty, Artemis picked the lock, using two of the hairpins and opened the door, praying that it wouldn't squeak. It didn't.

However, Obi Wan was waiting for her right outside the door.

"That was impressive," he said, standing up. Artemis tensed, getting ready to fight for her way out, when he held his hands up. "I'm not armed. You don't have to worry about me."

"Then why am I here?" Artemis demanded.

"Because I want to show you something."

"And what if I don't want to see it?" Yeah, that might not have been the smartest thing to say, but Artemis was used to challenging people and you can take a girl out of the Narrows, but you can't take the Narrows out of the girl.

"Then you can walk out right now." Artemis started pushing past Jedi Master. "But I thought that you might be interested in who your friend works with." Artemis stopped dead. He was baiting her. This guy was good.

"So I see what you have to show me, and then I can leave?" Artemis asked without turning around.

"You can, although I don't think you'll want to." Artemis turned and looked Jedi guy straight in the eye.

"Fine. I'll bite."

Obi Wan led her down a long white hallway and into a library. An enormous, lavishly decorated, absolutely amazing library. The wonk in her wanted to grab as many books as she could carry and just sit and read – forget where she was, who she was with and just lose herself in the pages – but Artemis clamped down on those feelings and stared ahead, memorizing her surroundings just in case she had to make a quick getaway.

Artemis, ever since she could remember, had loved to read. It was one of the very few things that she and Athena had in common, in fact, and they spend hours together in their bedrooms reading, occasionally explaining an especially funny part to the other, then going back to their own little worlds. When money got tight – so, most of the time – Artemis "borrowed" books from the Gotham Public Library and took them home. But, of course, when Athena had found out, she demanded that her twin returned them, so Artemis had dropped them inconspicuously in the library's book drop and that had been the end of that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Artemis noticed light reflecting off of glass. Up in the edges of the room were glass observing areas. Where was she?

"We're in the Hall of Justice, aren't we?" Artemis asked, putting all the pieces together. How had they gotten her to D.C. so fast? And wasn't that Hall supposed to be some kind of major tourist trap, anyways?

"Very good." Obi Wan said, sounding impressed. Yeah well, she had that effect on people. "Yes, this is the Hall of Justice, but, considering that it's around three o' clock in the morning, visiting hours are closed. Come here." He walked over to an enormous computer, similar to the one that the mobsters had – the one she'd wiped the night that Robin had seen her for the first time – and typed in a password. The screen filled with files, all scrolling too fast for her to get a good look at any one in particular. Finally it stopped on a file entitled: League of Shadows.

"Who the heck is Ra's al Ghul?" Artemis asked. "And why does he kind of look like a samurai with weird facial hair? Hold up, is his skin _purple_?" To her surprise, Obi Wan laughed. Artemis was taken aback. She thought that superheros weren't allowed to have a sense of humor, let alone speak sarcasm.

"No, that's just the lighting. Ra's is the leader of the League of Shadows, an organization that believes it is purging the world of sin, usually through – "

"Assassination, extortion, manipulation, and power broking." Artemis cut in. "That's what I've heard. So this is her boss."

"Whose boss?" the hero asked. Artemis deliberated for a moment. No, she still didn't trust Jedi Master yet.

"Cheshire's. She was always talking about him like he was a god or something."

"Yes, most of the Shadows are completely loyal to Ra's, and they will do what he asks without question. Including killing anyone who gets in their way without mercy."

"Like that sidekick. The archer." Artemis whispered, mostly to herself. Obi Wan tensed.

"Yes, Speedy. He was your target."

"Well, that was the plan." she said carefully.

"Explain." Artemis didn't appreciate his tone and then something clicked.

"I'm an idiot. Really, I am. You're Green Arrow, aren't you? That's why Batty told you about what we were up to...because the archer – Speedy, you called him? - used to be your sidekick." Artemis laughed nervously. So he thought that she was going to kill his protégé. Well, that certainly wouldn't put her very high on his list of people _not_ to impale with arrows. She'd have to be careful. "But I don't have to tell you anything. So show me what you wanted to show me and let's get this done with." Green Arrow's eyes narrowed, his previous good humor gone with the wind, then pressed a button on the keyboard. A video feed flashed up onto the screen, Ra's and Cheshire.

"So you think the girl is good for us?" Ra's was saying, his English heavily affected by some sort of accent – maybe Chinese or Thai.

"I think she's perfect." Cheshire purred. "Angry, trained, and vulnerable, just in case she decides to have a conscience."

"What kind of... vulnerabilities?"

"She's completely dedicated to her family," Cheshire laughed like this was a novel idea. Family loyalty, how quaint! "And stubborn and angry. If someone has hurt her, she goes after them, all or nothing."

"As I can attest to." Artemis gasped. Lawrence Crock entered the scene. "The bitch shot me."

"Well rest assured, Lawrence, she thinks that you're dead. And you would've been, if I hadn't been there to help, but don't worry about it, pet, when I come to collect my favor, I'm know it won't be cheap." Artemis turned her face away from the screen, her cheeks burning with anger.

"He's alive. That murdering bastard is alive! And she helped him!" Artemis whispered to herself furiously. She was beyond pissed. Now, Athena couldn't rest in peace. Now, she had to go out and find this League of Shadows and kick all their asses. All she wanted to do was be normal! Give up the freaking assassin game and go home to her mother! Was it normal that she had never officially mourned her sister? Hell no! Artemis had been so bent on revenge that being upset over Athena's death had taken a backseat. And there she'd thought that she was doing the right thing, that she was being strong and noble. She'd been played!

"Do you see that the people you trusted were using you the whole time?" Green Arrow asked softly.

"I never trusted them." Artemis spat. "Him," she pointed to Lawrence, "he made my life a living hell since I was ten years old, murdered my sister, then broke both my mothers legs. And I thought she was going to help me kill him."

"So you wanted revenge."

"No duh! My goddam father killed my sister!" Artemis realized what she'd said and froze.

"Sportsmaster is your father?" Green Arrow asked, eyes narrowed. Stop talking, Artemis, she told herself. Just shut up while you still can.

"Depends on your definition of the word." And here we go, she thought. I just _had_ to keep talking. "He was brutal, angry, sadistic and taught me everything I know. But in the dad department, he was severely lacking."

"So your father trained you to be an assassin, but you tried to kill him. How did that make you feel?"

Artemis looked at Green Arrow strangely. "Well I don't know, Doctor Phil. Let me meditate on that for a couple of hours...oh wait! It kind of made me feel like I was getting him back for _killing my sister_ and _breaking my mother's legs._" If this was some kind of interrogation, it was the worst one Artemis had ever been subjected to. She felt more like she was visiting a psychiatrist than being pumped for information. Green Arrow looked thoughtful.

"Stay here." he ordered. Artemis bristled at the command.

"I thought that you said I could leave!" she protested.

"Do you really want to?" Artemis growled and cursed the green-outfitted man up and down, but he was right. There was a reason she was here and not in prison, which meant they wanted something from her, and now she had a motive of her own: get back at her traitorous aunt and evil father. Green Arrow took her response as a "no" and started walking out of the library. "Oh, and the fiction section is over there." he said, pointing to a couple of bookshelves in the corner. Artemis stopped, startled and wondering if she'd been so transparent about how much she wanted to get her hands on those books. "Life sucks. Why not escape for a little while?"

* * *

><p>"Recognize Green Arrow 0-8." An automated voice rang out and the man disappeared in a flash of bright light. Huh, they have a Zeta beam, Artemis thought, trying not to be impressed. She didn't know that the Justice League used the latest technology. Artemis had always thought of them as horribly old-fashioned. Yet another thing she'd been wrong about, it seemed. Artemis waited, trying to resist doing what Green Arrow had told her – years of rebelliousness didn't just vanish now that she was in League custody, you know – but eventually gave in, snatching several promising-looking novels off of the shelves and snuggling down in an armchair.<p>

"So you've talked with her." Batman said when he Green Arrow beamed up to the Watchtower, not bothering with pleasantries. "And?"

"She's different than anyone sidekick I've met before – even Robin, and he's extraordinary. She's powerful and driven, but not for herself. She wants to help the people she cares about."

"Do you think she could be an asset?"

"Absolutely." Green Arrow answered. "She wants revenge – which," he said quickly, seeing Batman's glare. The Caped Crusader had an anti-vengeance thing, "I can try to diffuse, but its not for her – it's for her sister."

"Did you find out anything else."

"Yeah. You're going to love this." GA smiled. "Sportsmaster is her father." Batman's eyes widened behind his mask.

"And you still think that she could be trained?"

"She's already trained. All she needs now is guidance." The Batman didn't know if he agreed with that, but nodded, after all, she would be Green Arrow's responsibility, not his.

"Okay. Go and tell her the verdict."

* * *

><p>Artemis was so enthralled with her book that she didn't even notice Green Arrow's return.<p>

"I have a proposition for you." Artemis's head snapped up. How had she not heard him?

"I'm listening."

"I want you to become my partner. Learn the ways of the League, and eventually, you might get to join a team of your own." Artemis tried not to laugh.

"After everything I've done, you want me to be some kind of superhero?"

"No," Green Arrow smiled. "I don't want you to be some kind of superhero, I want you to _be_ a superhero."

"No. I can't do that. It's not who I am, it's not what I was trained to do."

"And yet, you claim not to be an assassin, you risk life and limb to double-cross your partner, who is an assassin, in order to save Robin – twice, I think – and you don't think you could dress up in a costume and go around helping people? Kid, you've got the hero part down. You just have to learn to be super." Artemis was taken aback by his words. No one had ever told her she was a hero, or, for that matter, made her feel like the things she could do, her abilities, could be used for more than just revenge or hurting people.

"Would I have to leave my mom? Live somewhere else?"

"No. It's called having a double life for a reason. You're mom won't even have to know what you're up to, if you don't want. Although that might be a little tricky."

"You would talk to her?"

"If you wanted me to." Artemis thought it over. Here was a chance to do something good, something right. Then, as if she was right next to her, Artemis heard Athena's voice agreeing, telling her to do it. _Be a hero, Artie. _Athena whispered in the back of her mind. _Be who you were for me for everyone else._ Artemis turned to Green Arrow.

"I'm in." Green Arrow smiled broadly.

"Well then, welcome to our world. My name is Green Arrow – but you can call me Oliver Queen – and who would you be?"

"My name's Artemis. Happy to be here."


	9. Chapter 9

**Discalimer:** I don't own Young Justice or any of it's characters...if I did, there would be so new episodes already! I mean, _come on!_

**Author's Note: ***Happy dance of joy and happiness* I got so many awesome reviews for the last chapter! Thank you guys so much! Special thanks to **_meg524, xstoriexluvrx , walterrob43 , GrayAreas14 , KF-AxxMexx , videoezy2_**. I love you guys!

**Author's Note #2: **I am posing a question to all my loyal readers: how, in your opinion, has Artemis changed over the course of the past 9 chapters? For the better? Worse? And, what is your favorite line in this chapter (or the whole novel)? Review and let me know, I'm very curious!

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><p>"I am an idiot. Why couldn't I just let you people take me to prison? Why oh, why did I think this alternative was better?"<p>

Green Arrow laughed. "Just an hour ago, you faced down one of the League's training robots without blinking, decapitated it and blew the thing to smithereens, and _this _is what scares you?"

"Obi Wan, you have no idea how terrifying she can be." Green Arrow had accepted that the nickname was going to stick. Artemis was an extremely stubborn girl...actually, she reminded him a lot of Speedy...

"After dealing with Batman, you think your _mother_ is the scary one?" Artemis shot GA a deadly serious look.

"Batman isn't the one who controls my entire life for the next three years. If this goes badly, I am screwed. As in for the _rest of my life_!"

"Fine, I'll go in first."

"Sounds good to me, but if she starts swearing in Vietnamese, get out of there, fast!" Green Arrow laughed again and knocked on the door of Artemis's apartment. He looked ridiculous, all decked out in his superhero garb, standing in the hallway of their crappy apartment building. "I'll be in my room!" Artemis ran away so her mom wouldn't see her when she opened the door. She slipped out the window and jumped out onto the fire escape, then climbed back into her room. It's going to be all right, she chanted inside her head. Mom is not going to freak out, she's going to be fine. Artemis knew that she was lying to herself – there was no way that this was going to go well. Plus, Paula was still pissed about Jade's unexpected and unexplained disappearance. Oh goodness.

"Hello." Artemis heard GA said politely. "Mrs. Crock?" Artemis heard her mother gasp. Paula may have not watched a lot of television, but she knew who Green Arrow was when she saw him.

"Hello. Is there something I can help you with?" Paula paused. "Is Artemis in trouble?" Wow, Mom, thanks for believing in me, Artemis thought. She and Green Arrow had been working together for almost two weeks and it had been the most fun that Artemis could remember having. They worked together for almost four hours every day – school had ended during Artemis's "leave of absence" – and it was Artemis who wanted their sessions to go on longer. Oliver – or, as she preferred to call him, Obi Wan – was a fantastic teacher, kind and understanding, letting her make mistakes and correcting her duly. Still, he worked her hard and Artemis felt her skills growing even more, all the while she was learning about the Justice League, as well as the various organizations who hated them and the groups around the world who were on the Watch List. The League of Shadows being number one on said list.

But, as this was Batman's city, they couldn't go and do the superheroing thing. Well that, and GA wanted to get her mother's permission first. And so, there they were.

"No, no, not at all. In fact, she's a wonderful girl." Artemis felt her cheeks pink with pride. "Artemis and I have been working together for a couple of weeks...and I want to take her on as my protégé."

"Artemis?" Paula demanded. "My Artemis? A superhero? But she's just a child!"

"A very skilled child." GA said kindly. "Artemis is gifted with many skills that enables her to be an excellent archer – one of the best I've seen or worked with in my life. She has the motivation, the skills and the will, all she needs in your permission." Artemis took that as her cue, and walked out into the small living room.

"Hi, Mom," she said softly.

"Artemis? What are you wearing?"

"Would you believe me of I told you that this is my uniform?" Artemis was wearing a dark green top that was cut off, exposing her midriff, with a lighter green arrow on it, green pants with knee pads and combat boots. Around her waist was a utility belt with all sorts of explosive goodies – and her grappling gun was in its own separate compartment that was strapped to her thigh – and she was wearing a green mask that left her eyes, nose and mouth exposed, but was connected to the rest of the outfit by a neck guard. Artemis also wore fingerless gloves, to make accessing her arrows and shooting easier. Her bow and quiver were slung across her back and Artemis had pulled her hair into a ponytail, reinforced with the knife-pins, just in case.

"_Đ__?i v?i tình yêu c?a Thiên Chúa_!" Paula swore. Artemis winced visibly and Green Arrow put a hand steadying on her shoulder.

"Mom?" Artemis said, breaking into her mother's furious verbal tirade. "Mom, I want to do this. I – I'm actually good at it."

"But you are my daughter. You must focus on your studies..."

"This will in no way interfere with Artemis's academic life and from what I can gather, she's a very good student and the school year is far over, Mrs. Crock, so there isn't anything to worry about. And she's right. This is something she's good at." GA cut it smoothly.

"I want to do this, Mom," Artemis repeated. Paula looked at her daughter hard, at the superhero standing in her living room, and then back again.

"This is what you want?"

"Yes, Mom. It's absolutely what I want."

"Then I agree."

* * *

><p>"So, how is she coming along?" Batman asked Green Arrow, watching Artemis duck and dodge her way through an obstacle course, firing arrows freely at any targets that got in her way. He had to admit that she was skilled and very creative, occasionally <em>using<em> obstacles to make the path easier and cleared to pass through.

"She's very quick to learn and I think that this is something that she really wants. Artemis definitely has the motivation to make a fantastic hero."

"Do you think she would cope well with the Team?"

GA hesitated. "Maybe, but not yet. She hasn't ever been out in the field – not as a hero, at least. And Artemis has a bit of a temper." A timely explosion from within the course punctuated his words perfectly.

"You showed her the trick arrows?" Batman asked sternly. He sounded like a schoolteacher when he spoke in that patronizing voice.

"More like she found them herself. But I think that she needs a little more time to mellow out, she isn't really a people person right now. Plus, I think a certain speedster on the Team would really set her off."

"I see what you mean. What is your alibi for when you are gallivanting around Star City with a new sidekick?"

"She'll be my niece." GA said. "We look enough alike that people shouldn't question it."

"And if they do? How will you explain her sudden arrival into our world?"

"I'll just say her mother didn't want her to have any part of the superhero lifestyle, but she wanted to be like old Uncle Green Arrow and taught herself how to use a bow. Then I came along and _voilà!_ Instant sidekick."__

"Watchtower to Green Arrow. GA, you there?" The comm link spoke into Green Arrow's ear.

"I'm here. What's up?"

"There's some trouble down near your end. Some genius decided to rob a jewelry store in the middle of the afternoon. Sending coordinates now."

"Received. Thanks Watchtower." Green Arrow turned to Batman. "Well, I've got some business in Star City. This is the perfect opportunity to she what she's made of."

"Good."

* * *

><p>If there was one thing that Artemis really hated about the whole hero thing, it was the Zeta beam. There was just something not right about having your molecules scrambled, shot somewhere else and then reassembled. Artemis shuddered and squinted in the bright light of the colorful sunset of Star City. It was always bright in Green Arrow's town.<p>

"Would you rather walk?" GA asked, noticing the look.

"Honestly? Kinda." Artemis said, readying her bow. "So, what's the plan?"

"This should be an easy job, no problems; it's just a mundane bank robbery. Just follow my lead and we'll roll with it from there."

"Huh, sounds like my kind of plan. Thanks, Obi Wan."

"Always, Princess Leia." Artemis grinned and both archers took off towards the sounds of sirens. _Always get up high_, Artemis remembered GA telling her. Right, so the baddies wouldn't expect it. Nobody ever looked up. Artemis shot her grappling gun into the side of a nearby building and catapulted herself onto the roof of the jewelry store. She kneeled down at the skylight, arrow nocked and ready to fly, seeing a man in a ski mask and dark clothing pull a gun on a woman behind the counter. Without hesitating, Artemis stood to get a better angle and shot the man in the leg. The thug went down hard, swearing profusely. Artemis laughed and leaped down into the building through the shattered skylight, only to get bear-hugged from behind by one of the masked men. I really should've seen this coming, she thought absently.

"So who are you supposed to be?" he hissed in her ear. "Some kind of Green Arrow fangirl?" Yup, that's me, Artemis thought, stomping her combat boot into the man's foot, and then slamming her head backwards. The man howled and let her go, completely caught by surprise, and Artemis whipped around and smashed him upside the head with her bow.

"Don't," she said calmly, "mess with us fangirls." Artemis spun once to make sure that there was no one else, then turned to the woman behind the counter. "Are you alright?" she asked. The woman nodded slowly, stepping out from behind the counter, then rushed and hugged Artemis, catching her completely off guard.

"Thank you!" she said, squeezing tighter. "Thank you so much!"

"Um, you're welcome?" It sounded more like a question. Artemis untangled herself from the woman and carefully led her outside, where she knew that the police were waiting. She tried not to twitch when they asked her who she was.

"Breathe." GA said, suddenly beside her. "We are not in Gotham. They don't know who you are and you're not about to get arrested."

"Old habits die hard." Artemis whispered back, trying to seem calm. Not easy. The woman who'd been threatened was with the paramedics now, but nothing seemed to be wrong with her. Except for the fact that she wouldn't stop talking about the "miracle girl" and how she'd saved her life. Artemis cringed visibly, glad that reporters didn't seem to be getting past the police's blockade. She wanted to stay as anonymous as possible. "Can we go now?"

"Sure thing, kid."

* * *

><p>"You did really good back there." Green Arrow had changed out of his costume in a phone booth, a tip he'd picked up from Superman, Artemis learned, and led Artemis – also in her civvies – to an posh apartment in the rich part of Star City. "Sorry I wasn't more help...there was a third guy keeping watch on the outside."<p>

"It was simple, I just had to shoot the guy. Well, simple except for that woman. I think she tried to strangle me." Artemis said, still a little disconcerted from the experience, flopping down onto a plush couch in the living room. She had to admit, the apartment was gorgeous. It was beautifully furnished with modern art and contemporary furniture that somehow managed to be cool-looking and comfortable. Either the League paid its members mad money or his family was loaded.

"That, my young Padawan, is called gratitude. You'll receive a lot of affection from people if you stay in this business...and a lot hate. It's just something that we have to deal with." Artemis grinned at the Star Wars reference then processed her mentor's words.

"I'm fine with hate, it's affection I'm not sure about. How do you handle that?" Oliver thought about that for a second but he was drawing a huge blank. Uncomfortably, he stood and grabbed a soda from the mini-fridge in the kitchen, tossing it over his shoulder to his protégé. She was different than anyone he'd ever worked with. She'd been exposed to a lot of ugliness in her short fifteen years and very little affection or love – so much so that she didn't know how to accept thanks from a woman whose life she'd saved? How did you try and talk to a girl like that?

"I don't know really. It's just something that you handle." Oliver said eventually. Artemis cracked open her soda and took a long sip, contemplating his explanation. Just something that you handled? Random hugs by people that she didn't know wasn't something she knew how to deal with and it certainly wasn't normal. Or was it?

"So is this where you live?" Artemis asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, most of the time." Oliver flashed her a smile. "Sometimes though I just crash at the Hall."

"Why?"

"Have you ever stayed up until four in the morning fighting for your life against people bigger and better equipped than you?"

"Yes." Artemis answered honestly. Oliver stopped, surprised by her candor. He'd meant the question to be rhetorical.

"Well than you know how damn tiring it is!" he said, bouncing back, once again startled by the extent of Artemis's experiences. She'd never expressly talked about them, but they occasionally came up and Oliver was always shocked by what she had been through. Then again, if Sportsmaster was her father, going through hell was practically a guarantee. Artemis threw her head back and laughed, then stretched like a cat, working the sore muscles from her intense workout yesterday.

"Do you have anything to eat around here?" Artemis asked, then paused, going rigid as if she'd been electrocuted."Oh crap! No no no no!"

"What?" Oliver asked, jerking to his feet. "What's wrong?"

"My mom is going to murder me!" she cried. "I was supposed to be home for dinner tonight! Oh my God if she takes away my bow..." Artemis trailed off, the horror too unbearable to even talk about.

"You really need to get past this pathological fear of your mother." Oliver said, his tone indicating that he thought that Artemis was crazy. She almost stabbed him with her eyes.

"Once again: she does not control your future and _you_ do not understand Vietnamese so when she starts swearing in a way that would make your mother cry, you don't understand what she's calling you. I have to go...right now!"

"Okay, there's a Zeta beam station that can drop you in an own phone booth right outside the Narrows." Artemis shuddered.

"Do I have to?" she whined.

"Do you want to get home?" Oliver shot back at her. Artemis hung her head, defeated, then followed her mentor's purposeful stride towards the door of the apartment when something on a side table caught her eye. It was an unmarked file, pretty thin, but she could see papers and photographs sticking out of it. Artemis couldn't help it really, it was pure reflex, but she snatched the file off of the table and hid it under her jacket. Oliver, thankfully, was focused on finding the Zeta station and didn't notice the horribly conspicuous bulge in the side of her jacket.

"Okay, here we are!" Oliver said, shoving her into one of the few remaining phone booths left in Star City. "Now go before your mother kills you and I lose another protégé!" Artemis nodded, trying to quash the guilt that bubbled up in her gut. Guilt. Another emotion that she was being exposed to that she was so, so unprepared for.

"Are you aware of how late you are?" Paula demanded as soon as Artemis burst through the door, out of breath but with apologies still trying to break free.

"Yes, _mi_, I am so sorry," Artemis said, hoping in vain that her use of the Vietnamese honorary would make her mother a little less angry. "Obi – er, I mean Green Arrow – had me go on my first field mission and then I completely lost track of time."

"It is alright, Artemis. I am just glad that you're okay." Hold up. That wasn't what she was expecting to happen.

"I am?" Artemis paused. "Are _you_ okay, Mom?"

"Yes, _con gái_, I am fine." Paula said unsteadily, then continued. "It is you I am worried about. When you didn't come home on time..." she trailed off, tears trickling down her cheeks. Artemis felt something inside her break and she rushed to her mother's side and knelt down beside her chair.

"Mom, I'm fine. I can take care of myself and now I have GA to protect me. Hell, according to him, I have the entire League. But I'm always going to come home, Mom." Artemis's voice cracked and broke. "I – I couldn't save Athena and I couldn't protect you and I'm not going to let that happen ever again. You are my _mi _and you come before the League and before Green Arrow. I will be here, because _you_ are all I have left." Paula looked at her daughter, her strong, brave daughter who reminder her of the best of her father – tough, brave and impossibly strong – and saw the young woman she'd become. It was truly amazing. For the first time since a man dressed in green and wearing a mask entered her house and asked for Paula's permission for Artemis to become a superhero, she finally believed it. Artemis was a hero. Her hero.

Artemis stood and wheeled her mom to the dinner table, then grabbed the plates she'd prepared from the counter and set one down before her.

"Come on, let's eat. And you've been wanting to teach me more than just the swears in Vietnamese, right? Can we do that tonight?" Paula looked like she was going to cry all over again, but instead smiled and nodded.

"Oh course, Artemis. Now repeat after me..."

Artemis and Paula spend the entire evening going over Vietnamese phrases and grammar and, suprisingly, it was one of the best nights that Artemis could remember sharing with her mother. They worked well into the night and Artemis left their little study session feeling like she could survive an intelligent conversation with a Vietnam native and not sound like an idiot. Or, in other words, she'd made progress.

It wasn't until she stumbled into her bedroom, her head swimming with Vietnamese verbs and sentense structure that Artemis remembered the file. It had been in her jacket's inside pocket the entire night and she'd forgotten about it! More importantly, her mother hadn't even noticed! Slowly, carefully, Artemis withdrew the file and laid it out on her bed. She opened it, spotting a roster that only named five kids, under the title of The Team. One of them was familiar. The Boy Wonder was on this "Team," as was Kid Flash, Aqualad, and two teens that Artemis didn't know: Miss Martian and Superboy.

What have they been up to? Artemis wondered. She knew that the first three sidekicks worked with their mentors, but were they a part of something bigger? Curiosity piqued and irresistible, Artemis settled in and began to read.

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><p><strong>Hey guys, it's me again! Don't forget to review this chapter, as well as answer the above question: how, in your opinion, has Artemis changed over the course of the past 9 chapters? For the better? Worse? And, what is your favorite line in this chapter (or the whole novel)? <strong>

**Love you all!**

**~Fae**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **Guys, it's the same as always. I'll message you all when the status quo changes.

**Author's Note: **Thanks foe everyone who reviewed! I know the last chapter was a tad bit dry...so here's what you've all been waiting for! I decided my author's note this time round should be different: short, sweet and to the point

* * *

><p>"Why can't I come with you?" Artemis whined. She knew she was whining and she knew that he hated it, so she whined even louder. "Come on!" Green Arrow grimaced and shook his head. He knew that Artemis was doing this on purpose because she knew it drove him crazy.<p>

"No. This is League business. No sidekicks." Artemis stumbled backwards, her hand over her heart, eyes wide, gasping.

"Is that all I am to you? I thought that we were partners!" For a second GA flashed back to Speedy – or, now he was calling himself Red Arrow, apparently – saying those exact same words and felt for the first time like he was going to give in. Then he saw the spark of laughter in Artemis's eyes and stomped on that feeling.

"Uh huh, but you're a junior partner. And a convicted criminal in twenty-three states. And Canada. Do you know how hard it is to piss off Canadians?" Artemis smiled and did a little curtsey, remembering that certain incident fondly. It was one of the few Lawrence-mandated tests where she'd genuinely had fun. Great country, Canada.

"It's a gift. But that's beside the point, _and _you only know about my record because I told you, so why can't I come! I can help!"

"It isn't that kind of mission." GA said, picking his words carefully.

"Right, because the death match with the super-robot was this morning. Sorry, I forgot. Oh wait, no I didn't because _you didn't let me come_! _Bin bí mit giht,_" Artemis grumbled in Vietnamese. Secretive jerk.

"Don't start. I thought you hated it when people spoke in Vietnamese and you didn't understand it."

"No, no. Silly Obi Wan. I hate it when my mother did it because I couldn't understand what she was saying. Now that I can do it to other people, it's actually quite gratifying."

Green Arrow laughed. "You're still not coming."

"But – " Artemis protested.

"Not. Coming."

"Fine." Artemis grumbled, then perked up. "But I'm going to raid your fridge and go through your stuff." She laughed evilly. GA was surprised by her antics. Sometimes, he forgot that she was only fifteen. He wasn't worried about the "going through your stuff" bit. Everything worth stealing was highly encrypted on his computer or locked up tight in a safe hidden behind a painting on the wall.

"Do what you must. But I have to go now. See you later, kid." Green Arrow waved and walked out of the door. Artemis waited until his footsteps disappeared down the hall, then jumped up and made good on her promise. She rushed over to the fridge, grabbed a soda and a took a carton of ice cream out of the freezer. Slowly fixing herself a bowl, Artemis sat in front of the T.V. and finished her snack. She was being slow and it was killing her, but she had to make sure that Green Arrow wasn't going to come back and catch her snooping. Finally, she decided that she was safe and rushed into the office.

"Okay, Team...the Team. Where are you?" Artemis murmured to herself, searching through the computer. She'd returned the file she'd stolen to GA's apartment the next morning and, apparently, he never knew that it was gone. The Team was a covert group of sidekicks that was being sent on missions for the League. Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad were already famous, so Artemis figured the Team's secrecy was to protect them. But the two others, Miss Martian and Superboy? She'd never heard of them. The file wasn't detailed on who they were – there was nothing about their secret I.D's or anything – but she knew that Superboy (and _damn_ he was hot) was a clone of Superman and Miss Martian actually was a Martian – the niece of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, to be exact. Huh, and they said that I'm Green Arrow's niece too, Artemis thought absently. But beyond who they worked with, the file didn't mention anything else.

_Access Denied_. The computer reprimanded. Artemis slapped the desk and changed tactics. Okay, she thought, think about it like you're breaking into a house. I couldn't get in through the front door...there has to be a window entrance. She went into the mainframe through a ghost drive...closer...closer...yes! Artemis was in. Files and photos flashed on the screen but a certain one caught her eye and she clicked on it. A missions list? There were only a few...and one from _today_? The file must've been automatically updated whenever the kids went on a mission. So what was it this evening...? What the hell? They had to make sure that some parts of the Amazo robot stayed safe! That was the android that GA and the entire League had been fighting just that afternoon! According to Green Arrow, it had taken them four hours to disable the thing, and now they were letting sidekicks handle its pieces? Did that sound like a bad idea to anyone else but her? If this android was so powerful, whoever made it must've wanted to get it back, and yet the League was still willing to let their sidekicks into the line of fire and transport the thing.

Somewhere in the back of Artemis's brain, a light bulb clicked on.

"Oh, duh!" she shouted aloud. That's where Green Arrow must be! No wonder he wouldn't tell her what he was doing. Artemis should've known that something was up; GA had always been straight with her about what kind of work he was going with the League. She couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out earlier. Now all she had to do was figure out where they were. Artemis knew that GA wouldn't want her to get involved, but she could help! Well, that's what she told herself. Mostly, thought, her curiosity was killing her. That, and her temper, were her two fatal flaws. Paula said they would get her in trouble. Green Arrow said they would get her killed. Artemis thought they were driving forces and she liked batting against a thousand. It made things interesting.

Artemis turned back to the computer, trying to get into the League mainframe. She knew that every hero's computer held a link to access it...if she could only find it she could – probably, if she was lucky, really, really lucky – she might be able to piggyback onto Robin's tracking device and find out where they were headed. The fact that all the heroes had separate tracking devices embedded into their suits was something that Artemis had found out from Green Arrow – even her costume could be tracked – and was an aspect of heroism that didn't exactly make her feel comfortable. But she turned her focus back to the computer, again using the ghost drive to unencrypt a file on the computer. Bingo! It was a transfer link into the League's mainframe. Artemis glowed with pride knowing that she was good enough to hack into the system, then pulled up the tracking files for the sidekicks. Aqualad, no, she didn't know who he was...Miss Martian, no. Wait a second. Those two were together...but the other three...were in Gotham? Hold up...

Artemis zeroed in on Robin's tracking device and saw that he was heading towards Gotham Academy. That's _not_ where they were supposed to be going...what had gone wrong? Now Artemis knew that she had to go and help. Without hesitation, she changed into her costume and grabbed her gear, then rushed out of the window and ran, jumped, and grappled (with the help of her gun) to the Zeta station/barely used decrepit old phone booth. Taking a deep breath, Artemis prepared to beam herself to Gotham. This is no time to be squeamish, she chided herself. Suck it up and go. She took another steadying breath and did, hitting the button that send her molecules flying through the air, landing in Gotham in record time.

Bursting out of the Zeta station, Artemis tore through the streets, not bothering to stop and hot-wire a car, there just wasn't enough time! When she arrived at the school, it looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to parts of the walls – they'd been completely destroyed. Artemis briefly felt a flash of admiration for anything with that kind of destructive power, right before a wave of pure paralysis came over her. Within seconds, she was incapacitated, and it wasn't by any means but her own. This was where Athena had died. Where she'd been murdered and now Artemis couldn't move.

No! Artemis thought desperately. No, this can't be happening now. I can't let anyone else get hurt because I failed to act. Goddammit I have to _move_! But it wasn't working. From inside the building, Artemis could hear explosions and the loud, obnoxious sound of crumbling concrete and drywall. She had to get in there. NOW!

Then, like before, Artemis could hear Athena's voice in her head. _You can help them, Artie._ Athena said, almost sounding cheerful. _They need you right now and right now you need to move. It wasn't your fault, what happened to me. This place can't become a handicap for you, you're too strong for that. Now go, go save the day. _

"Athena..." Artemis whispered, almost reverently. Then she jerked forward as if she'd been pushed and, finding that she could move again, raced into the building with a new sense of purpose. Athena forgives me, she thought. She wants me to do this. Those thoughts gave her strength and power and Artemis leapt through the hole in the wall and followed the cacophonous noise into the Gotham Academy's enormous gymnasium.

The first thing Artemis noticed was the the sidekicks were clearly losing. The Amazo robot was huge – taller than Lawrence, even – and it was kicking their butts. On the bleachers sat a man surrounded by...robot monkeys? What? But he was watching the spectacle, laughing and cheering as if it was a high school basketball game, as opposed to a death-match and that really pissed her off. Artemis dashed towards the gangly, red-headed man, figuring that he was somehow connected to the android. Take him down and the robot might be disabled as well. Luckily for her, only three of the sidekicks were present in the gym – Robin, Kid Flash and Superboy – and they were too busy fighting Amazo to pay attention to a girl dressed in green entering the scene. The man, too entertained by the demise of the teens in front of him, didn't notice her either. She nocked an arrow and was preparing to let it go, right in the man's chest, when she heard the robot speak.

"Access Superman," it rumbled, picking up Kid Flash as he ran past like he weighed nothing at all and constricting its arms, crushing him. The boy cried out and Artemis wheeled, sending the arrow right at the robot. A lesser archer would've hit the sidekick for sure, but Artemis's aim was dead on.

"Martian Manhunter," the android said in it's gravely, monotonous voice. Somehow, it channeled the alien's powers and the arrow flew right _through _the robot. Not exactly the effect she'd wanted, but the android effectively dropped Kid Flash, allowing him to speed out of the robot's range. But, because she couldn't just save a kid's life and get away cleanly, her arrow had landed right in front of Robin. Needless to say, he looked up and saw her. Of course, Artemis thought. It just figures, doesn't it? But she didn't let her thoughts show, waving at Boy Wonder and taking off, through the window behind her. Of course he would recognize her, even in her brand new superhero costume. The window shattered as Artemis slammed through it, but she shrugged it off. A little more property damage wouldn't inconvenience the school any more than it already was.

The window she escaped out of led into the courtyard and Artemis felt another crippling wave of paralysis. Only this time it was worse, so much worse. The pleasant nighttime scene around her evaporated and she could hear the gunshot, feel her heartbeat ratchet up as her feet pounded against the marble, but she'd been too late; and Artemis saw Athena crumple and fall to the ground, blood spurting from a gruesome bullet wound in her chest.

"Wait!" a single word snapped Artemis out of her reverie and she spun, bow at the ready, not really seeing Robin in front of her, but instead seeing Lawrence as he shot Athena. "Whoa whoa! Calm down." Boy Wonder put his hands up. "What are you doing here?" he looked her up and down. "And what's with the outfit?"

"She's dead." Artemis whispered, tremors wracking her body. "I couldn't save her, and now...she's dead." The bow in her hand trembled violently. Robin lithely stepped out of range and moved closer.

"Hey, what happened to you? What happened after that night?" Artemis forced herself back into reality as fast she she'd departed.

"What, you don't know?" she said mockingly, all vulnerability gone in an instant. "Good. And you're welcome, bird boy. I just saved your teammate." Robin's mouth dropped open a fraction and Artemis laughed. "You thought that I wouldn't find out?" Artemis paused, hearing noise from inside the building. No, she didn't want anyone else to know about her just yet. "I'm cashing in a favor." she said decisively.

"A favor?" Robin parroted, flabbergasted. "What makes you think that I owe – "

Artemis cut him off easily. "Well, let's think, shall we? Okay there was sparing your life the first time we met, saving you from Cheshire and my – Sportsmaster," she ticked each time she'd saved the Boy Wonder off of her fingers. "Poisoning myself so I could give _you _the antidote and almost getting arrested, and then there was – "

"Alright, alright!" Robin snapped irritably. "What do you want?"

"I was never here." Artemis leaned in close to the boy. "You didn't see anything. I don't care who you blame for the arrow: Green Arrow, Speedy, I could care less, but your team will not know I exist. Get it?" Sullenly, Robin nodded.

"Fine." he snapped.

"Good." She smiled widely. "Oh, don't be so down, birdie. That's one favor down, you only have three to go." Okay, she decided, time to leave. Artemis quietly grabbed a pinch of powder from her utility belt and held it behind her back. Another trick from Cheshire that would come in handy. "_Tam biit, ít chim_," she trilled. Goodbye, little bird. Then Artemis dropped the powder to the ground and it exploded into a violent, smoky storm that left Robin coughing and incapacitated, and allowed Artemis to get away.

"Remember," her voice echoed through the courtyard. "I was never here."

* * *

><p>"She was there." Batman told Green Arrow after they'd debriefed the team. The archer nodded, he'd had the same suspicions when Robin dramatically accused him of interfering with the mission, then exclaimed that it must've been Speedy when his arrow didn't match the one that had been shot through the Amazo android. Robin knew as well as Green Arrow did that Speedy – Red Arrow – didn't want anything to do with the Team. He thought they were a joke.<p>

"I know."

"Did you tell her?" Batman accused.

"No!" GA snapped. "You said to keep it confidential and I did."

"But you never had problems with releasing League secrets to your sidekicks before. Why start now?" That hurt. Just because he'd told S – Red Arrow about the Watchtower didn't mean he couldn't keep something as vital as the Team a secret from Artemis. He knew that she was still dangerous and that Batman wanted to wait to see if she could handle their lifestyle before she was initiated.

"At least she didn't kill anyone. She actually saved Kid Flash!"

"That is inconsequential. How did she find out if you didn't tell her?"

"I don't know," GA retorted. "She's smart. There are any number of ways she could've found out. The question you should be asking is 'how are we going to deal with it?'"

"You need to talk to her and find out what she knows." Batman ordered. "And how she figured everything out."

"Fine," Green Arrow grumbled. He didn't like taking orders – especially about his protégés – and he didn't want to think that his assumptions about Artemis had been wrong. He'd decided to trust her completely, except where the Team was concerned, as per orders from Batman, and he didn't want those confidences betrayed. "I'm going now. She's probably still at my place."

"You told her where you live?" Batman sounded surprised. He obviously still thought that Artemis was still a threat.

"Yes." GA said, quickly losing patience. "I'll report back to you within an hour."

Artemis looked up from the television when she heard GA enter the apartment.

* * *

><p>"Yo, Obi Wan?" Artemis called. Stony silence echoed back at her. Artemis twisted so that she could see her mentor. Oliver was in his civvies and his usually smiling face was somber. "Oh crap. What happened? Is everything alright?" Oliver didn't say anything, just stared at her, his eyes hard.<p>

"Are you still mad about me out-shooting you the other day in training? Because that was just pure skill on my part. And besides, everyone has off days."

"So where were you tonight?" Oliver asked abruptly.

"Um, here?" Artemis said. "Okay, seriously, what is up with you? You're sounding like Batman." Oliver stiffened.

"I think you're lying. Artemis, so just stop it now. I need to trust you and the League needs to trust you, so I'm going to cut to the chase: how did you find out about the Team?" For a moment, Artemis debated her options. She could keep lying and Oliver might find her out – but he actually knew the truth, so that might not work out so well – or she could tell the truth and he'd be majorly pissed that she'd hacked his computer and stolen a classified file from his apartment. Either way he wasn't going to be happy.

"I found a file on it." Artemis mumbled. What had her mother always told her, honesty being a policy or something? "And I got into the League mainframe and found Robin's tracker and followed the signal to Gotham." Something occurred to her.

"Wait. How do you know that I was there?" she demanded.

"You let Robin see you. He's a good actor, maybe even as good as you, but not good enough to fool both of us." Oh crap, Batman knew that she was there too. Ooh, he was going to be mad. And Artemis already knew that the Dark Knight wasn't her biggest fan.

"Yeah well I'm sorry I wasn't exactly composed in the place where my sister was _murdered_!" Artemis spat, suddenly emotional and defensive. Oliver stopped and stared.

"She was killed at Gotham Academy?" he asked softly.

"Yeah she was. Whatever. So are you going to chew me out for breaking into your computer or not, because I'd rather get the lecture over with if you wouldn't mind."

"I'm not going to yell at you, kid. I'm proud that you told me the truth, actually. And the fact that you got into my computer is very impressive." Why was he commending her?

"I'm sensing a 'but' in here somewhere." Artemis said, still playing defense. There was no way she was getting away with everything scot-free. A lifetime's worth of suspicions rose to the surface. There had to be a catch.

"You're right. It's all very good, and you've come a long way from just a few weeks ago, _but_," the emphasis on the word made Artemis cringe. "I can't keep you to myself for any longer."

"What are you talking about?" Artemis demanded.

"That team you illegally found out about? Yeah, you'll be seeing a lot more of them. You're in, Princess Leia, and they need an archer. And after today's events, it's clear that they need you."

* * *

><p><strong>Likes, loves, hates? I want to know so review and tell me so that I can address any problems! And I'm going on vacation tomorrow so no more updates until next Thursday! Sorry!<strong>

**~Fae**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Young Justice...but for anyone who wants to join, the Angry Mob of Young Justice Fans is sharpening their pitchforks...anyone up for a good old fashioned mob? Because if episodes don't air soon, it'll come to that

**Author's Note: **So sorry everyone! I was on vacation and then I had to go away again because their was a family emergency...needless to say, I haven't been home. But I am back now, so I'll be updating every two or three days or so again, never fear!

**Author's Note Numero Dos:** Thanks so so much to _**Wheatieluv, **_**Little Miss Novella, ****_xstoriexluvrx, BT4Ever, atrieelover, GrayAreas14_, **and_ **boomihavearrived. **_You people are so freaking amazing I can't even stand it! And internet-hugs to everyone who favorited and added me to their author and stories lists! Oh and **_boomihavearrived _**you'll just have to keep reading and find out! (I just love infuriating non-answers, don't you?)

* * *

><p>"So where exactly are you programming the Beamy Thingie of Doom to zap me?" Artemis asked, watching Green Arrow reprogram the Zeta beam to take them who-knows-where.<p>

"Mount Justice, the headquarters of your new team."

"Yeah, I know _that_, but where exactly is this magical place?" Apparently, nerves made her more sarcastic than normal.

"Happy Harbor." GA answered, flashing her a mischievous smile.

"Awesome."

"Irony sucks, doesn't it?" Green Arrow looked like he was about to burst out laughing. Artemis smacked his arm.

"Don't I know it." The phone booth beeped and flashed red. "Aw, that was fast. I was hoping it would take longer to program."

"Stop being such a baby."

"I hate those things!" Artemis reminded him.

"Which is up there in the top ten reasons of why I love them." GA snarked. Artemis glared at him and walked sullenly into the station.

"Beam me up, Scotty." she grumbled, then the Zeta beam flashed and there was nothing.

When Artemis opened her eyes again she was almost steamrolled by a wave of claustrophobia. All around her were rocks, hundreds of thousands of pounds of rocks. And there she was, thinking that Mount Justice was just a name. Nope, the HQ was an _actual_ _mountain_! Artemis shook off the feeling and walked further into the space. It was some kind of control center, dominated by giant computer monitors and an expansive area in the middle that she guessed could be used for anything from research to training. But her awed mood was killed when she saw Batman and a big red robot occupying that area.

"Artemis." Batman said coldly.

"Batty!" she cried, like they were long-lost relatives who hadn't seen each-other in years. "Nice to see you, you're looking well. And I see your sense of style hasn't changed since I saw you last. Well, you know what they say: black is very slimming." Batman's eyes narrowed and Artemis could hear GA trying to smother a laugh, but failing pretty miserably.

"Don't forget that you are here on League terms." Batman warned. Ooh, scary. Artemis thought, trying not to vocalize. Even so, she couldn't help snorting and rolling her eyes. Yeah, whatever. Batman caught her look and his mouth tightened, but he didn't say anything. Actually, he didn't have a chance, because before he could retaliate, four teens burst into the cavernous room, looking eager.

"Batman!" Robin yelled out. "What's our – " Boy Wonder's words were cut off when he saw her.

"Who is this?" Aqualad asked kindly, his voice calm and cool. Artemis looked at the Atlantean. He was handsome, with dark skin and buzzed blonde hair and gray-blue eyes, the only thing that told her that he wasn't exactly "normal" was the webbed hands and gills on his neck.

"This," Batman said, sounding less than thrilled – though, that's how he usually sounded to Artemis, "is your new teammate." Artemis's attention was riveted off of Aqualad by an excited squeal. Her eyes fell on a girl that was by no means "normal." For one thing, she was flying, as in hovering a few inches off of the ground. For another, she was green. Not like she looked nauseous or seasick, but literally, her skin was pea green. Like a leaf. But despite her strange appearance, she smiled broadly at Artemis, clapping her hands together.

"I'm Miss Martian!" she said excitedly. "And this is Aqualad, Robin and Superboy!" Superboy. Now he was something to look at. Raven hair and blue eyes, he did look like the Big Blue Boy Scout, but there was a rebelliousness in the way he held himself that Artemis couldn't help noticing. Unlike Aqualad and Miss Martian, Superboy didn't say hello, choosing to stare sullenly at her, and Robin, the king of snappy comebacks himself, had no smart-ass comment.

"_Recognize: Kid Flash. B-03_." The Zeta beam announced, turning everyone's attention from Artemis to the approaching figure.

"The Wall-Man is here!" a boy with flaming red hair shouted. Artemis couldn't hide a smile at his attire: he was in a bathing suit and sunglasses with a giant glob of sunscreen on his nose, holding a beach umbrella, boombox and other beach-y stuff. "Now let's get this party started!" It might've been a good entrance, except for the fact that he tripped and fell flat on his face. The boy sighed and looked up at everyone, all in their uniforms, and Batman glaring down at him. "Dead?" he mumbled.

"Wall-Man, huh?" Artemis asked. "Love the uniform. What, exactly, are your powers?" Artemis figured that this was Kid Flash, out of costume.

"Uh, who's this?" the boy asked, standing.

"Artemis." she said, speaking for herself. "Your new teammate."

"Kid Flash," he said. Ha, she'd been right! Score one for Artemis. "Never heard of you." Artemis opened her mouth, ready to tear him apart, but Green Arrow stepped up from behind her to address the smarmy red-head.

"She's my new protege." GA said.

"What?" Kid Flash cried, outraged. "What happened to your old one?"

"_Recognize: Speedy, B-06._" The computer said, announcing yet another new arrival. Wow, this was a busy joint. Artemis's blood ran cold when she saw the ex-sidekick entering the area. It was the archer – the one she and Jade had been going to kill. Oh, this was going to end badly.

"Roy." GA said. "You look – "

"Replaceable." Artemis decided that she didn't like him. She wasn't one to preach about respecting your elders, but there was something in Speedy's – oh wait, he said that he was Red Arrow now – tone that set her teeth on edge.

"It's not like that." Green Arrow said, sounding hurt. "You told me that you were going solo."

"So why waste time finding a sub?" Red Arrow demanded. Red Arrow, Green Arrow, that was going to get very confusing. "Can she even _use_ that bow?" Artemis snapped to attention and marched up to him.

"Yes. She can." she said, her voice icy. The effect might've been diminished slightly by the fact that he was taller than her by about a head.

"Who _are_ you?" Kid Flash demanded. Artemis glared at him.

"I'm his niece." Artemis said in unison with GA.

"Another niece?" Robin said, his arms crossed and skeptical. _You owe me_, Artemis mouthed at him, then smiled angelically. Robin's eyes narrowed.

"And she's not your replacement." Artemis rolled her eyes. She'd heard that Atlanteans were peace-makers, but this was a little excessive. "We always wanted you on the team and we have no quota on archers."

"And if we did, you know who'd we pick." Kid Flash said.

"Whatever, Baywatch," Artemis sneered. "I'm here to stay." Okay, cut to the chase, Artemis thought. There had to be a reason why he was here. And there it was. Dr. Serling Roquette. The name meant nothing to her, but apparently Robin knew who she was: a nanotechnology expert who worked out of Star City. Abducted two weeks ago...by the League of Shadows. Awesome. But Red Arrow had already rescued her. Well, bully for him. So why did he need their help?

"The Shadows had already coerced her into making a weapon. Doc calls it the Fog, comprised of millions of microscopic robots." That's why. Okay, so tiny robots that can destroy stuff, no big deal. "But their true purpose isn't mere destruction, it's theft. The robots eat and store data from the computer system and deliver the stolen intel straight to the Shadows." And from that they could access anything that the computer was holding. Artemis felt a spark of jealously. That was kind-of awesome. Dangerous, in the wrong hands, but still bloody awesome.

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, and power broking. Yeah, sounds like the Shadows." Artemis said aloud, remembering her lessons from Jade.

"Like you know anything about the Shadows." Kid Flash snapped. He was seriously getting on Artemis's nerves, but she just smiled knowingly at him. Let him know that I have intel he doesn't, she thought, knowing that it would drive him nuts. It worked.

"Who _are_ you?" he demanded again. Artemis smirked.

Red Arrow had stashed the doctor at the local high school so that she could make a virus that would disable the Fog, but other than that, it was clear he didn't want anything to do with the team. Artemis couldn't help feeling a tiny bit responsible for that; knew that her being there really pissed him off. Red Arrow stomped out of the room, reprogramming the Zeta to use his new code name before beaming out of there. Mature, Artemis thought, real mature.

"The doctor is now your responsibility." Batman said. "You will protect her from the Shadows and make sure that the virus is completed before they get whatever it is that they're after." Yes, sir, Batman, sir! Artemis thought, snapping the Caped Crusader a smart salute.

"Who _are_ you?" Kid Flash cried.

"The girl in green who is seriously doubting your mental capacity, Baywatch." She snapped. God, he was annoying! Artemis was seriously starting to regret saving his life. If he kept it up, he'd have to learn to sleep with one eye open. "So, is that what you're going to wear?" Kid Flash looked down at his outfit and sped out of the room. Score two for Artemis.

"If we are to keep the doctor safe, we should depart immediately," Aqualad said. Artemis had to agree. If she knew the Shadows, they were already after the good doctor. Superboy and Robin nodded their agreement.

"I'll call the Bio-Ship!" Miss Martian said, flying out of the room. Artemis cocked an eyebrow.

"Bio-Ship?" she asked.

"Miss M's spaceship." Robin explained, still looking petulant. How silly of her not to realize. Of _course_ the Martian had a spaceship. She should've known.

"Fine!" Kid Flash said, bursting back into the room. "Are you happy now?" he demanded. Artemis looked him up and down. She'd seen the famous yellow and red costume on the news.

"You look taller on T.V." she said, shrugging. The speedster sputtered, completely at a loss for words, then threw his hands up and stalked out of the room, clearly frustrated.

Artemis felt a hand on her shoulder. Oh yeah, she'd forgotten that GA was still there. "Play nice, okay?" he said, beseeching her with his eyes. Green Arrow knew that Artemis could be difficult when she wanted to be and he could already tell that she and Kid Flash were _not_ going to get along.

"Don't I always?" she asked nicely. GA frowned. "I'm fine, seriously. You can go." He still didn't look convinced. "I promise not to blow anything up...actually, strike that, I promise not to blow anything up when it would disadvantage the team. Happy now?"

"Not in the least." Artemis grinned at her "uncle" and turned back to the three remaining teen heroes. "Are we going?"

"Yes. We do not have much time." Aqualad said.

Before she knew it, Artemis was back in Happy Harbor. It had taken a little while to get used to the weird, "telepath-controlled spaceship" concept, but Miss Martian had proven to be an able pilot and they'd made it to the school in record time and with few problems. Well, exempting the fact that Dr. Roquette had tried to bludgeon Superboy with a baseball bat when they'd found her in the computer lab. She'd been expecting someone else. A Shadow, no doubt. Once they'd found her, Miss Martian and Superboy had gone out to patrol the perimeter of the school, while Aqualad, Robin, KF and Artemis stayed with the doctor.

_Is everyone online?_ Artemis heard Miss Martian's voice echoing inside her head. Aqualad had told her to expect that, but it was still really, really weird.

_Ugh!_ Roquette's voice – even her mental one – sounded annoyed. She was typing furiously, then began complaining.

_Lady, do you always complain when people try to help you? _Kid Flash asked, munching on something or other. Artemis had to agree, but she couldn't let him know that.

_Pot, kettle, have you met?_

_Hey, I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off of the team. _Kid Flash snapped at her. Newbie? Right, because she was _new_ at this after five years of training. But she kept that little goldmine of emotional turmoil to herself.

Even so, Artemis jumped off of the desk angrily. _That is _so_ not on me! _she fired back.

_Fate of the world at stake! _Doc reminded them.

_She started it! _So mature. What was he, eight?

_How about I just help Miss Martian and Superboy patrol the perimeter? _Artemis suggested, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, else she shoot her new teammate then and there. Aqualad agreed, sounding relieved and irritated at the same time.

_You might want to cut her some slack,_ Robin joined the conversation for the first time. Artemis paused briefly, then continued walking, wanting to hear more. Why was he defending her? _It was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo._

_What?_ Kid Flash asked. _No! That was Speedy's – I mean Red Arrow's – arrow. Right?_

_Not so much._

Kid Flash grumbled. _Well, still not giving her the satisfaction. _

_You know that I can still hear you. _Artemis said, speaking up. Even from down the hall, she could hear the speedster's frustrated groan. She laughed to herself and kept on walking, meeting Miss Martian at the school's front entrance. They waited in silence, both tense and alert, until, out of nowhere, Superboy landed right next to them.

_Mm, that boy. _Artemis though appreciatively, getting over shock of his abrupt arrival quickly. Superboy stiffened, then looked back at her, seeming startled.

_He can hear you!_ Miss M reprimanded like a schoolteacher. _We can all hear you._

Damn, she'd forgotten about that. _Oh, I know. _she replied, playing it off coolly. Miss Martian opened her mouth angrily, no doubt about to say something scathing, but Aqualad signaled in, telling them that Roquette had located the Fog. The Martian raised her hand to the sky and the Bio-Ship landed in front of them.

_Ready, _she thought, as Robin and Superboy ran inside. Artemis guessed that they were going to pursue, while the rest of they stayed here and protected the whiny doctor. Fun.

_You embarrassed Superboy. _Miss Martian said once the boys had departed, shooting her a dirty look over her shoulder.

_Didn't hear him say that._ Artemis challenged.

_Must you challenge everyone? _Miss M demanded, calling her out instantly.

_Where I come from, that's how you survive, _she replied honestly. The green girl narrowed her eyes, clearly she'd never lived in the Narrows. Artemis ignored the look, focusing back on the entrance. So far, there was nothing seemed to be wrong. Miss Martian turned her back to the archer huffily, crossing her arms. Artemis wondered if she was the only one that acted her age around here.

_M'gann, Kid, Artemis, we are under attack in the computer lab!_ Aqualad's voice rang out in her head, propelling Artemis into motion in a flash.

_On our way!_ Artemis said, already moving, Miss Martian – M'gann – flying behind her. Or at least, she though she was. The alien was nowhere in sight when Artemis burst through the lab's doors. But that was the least of her worries. Acting on pure instinct, Artemis shot an arrow at the assassin she saw first, knocking the knife out of her hands. It wasn't until after she'd let it fly that Artemis noticed that the woman had been about to stab Aqualad. Then again, she'd always been a "shoot first, ask questions later" kind of gal.

"Don't move." she said aloud, her voice dripping with malice. The assassin stood out of her crouch and Artemis took in her mask: a grinning cat face backed by an enormous mane of night-black hair. No, it couldn't be, Artemis assured herself. It's not her.

"This keeps getting interesting," the assassin said calmly, whipping out a folded sword and bracing herself. Artemis narrowed her eyes and shot arrow after arrow, but the woman deflected them all. Wow that was annoying! Now she knew how Boy Wonder felt when she dodged his birdarangs. Seeing Kid Flash and Miss Martian enter the room, the assassin paused. "Maybe a little too interesting." Artemis nocked another arrow and let it fly, just as the woman disappeared in a dramatic flash of lights and smoke. Then, out of nowhere, Kid Flash tumbled through the mist – he'd tried to grab the assassin before she vanished – landing in an awkward upright heap on top of Artemis. He was still for a second then recoiled. Artemis couldn't help but feel the same way.

"Gone." KF said, vocalizing what they were all thinking.

"She's getting away!" The Doctor yelled shrilly. "You're letting her get away!"

"This is all your fault!" Kid Flash accused, whirling on Artemis. "You were on perimeter! How'd that Shadow get in?" Artemis glared coldly at him. Do not. Test. Me, she thought icily.

"That's not really fair," Miss Martian said. "I was outside, too." What was it with people defending her today? Artemis wondered.

"Outside...being distracted by her!" Kid Flash said, again pinning the blame on Artemis. "Besides, I can't be mad at you." _You gave me mouth-to-mouth,_ the speedster thought, almost sounding...dreamy. Gross.

_We can hear you!_ Artemis snapped mentally, surprisingly in unison with everyone else.

"Dang it!" Kid Flash grumbled.

"I didn't do half as well during my first battle." Miss Martian said kindly, putting a hand on Artemis's shoulder. "And I know you can't have been Green Arrow's sidekick for very long." Nope, Artemis thought, not long at all.

"Focus everyone." Aqualad said, bringing their attention back to the mission at hand. "The Shadow will be back. We're moving the doctor."

Artemis kept watch in the rear of their little procession as they stealthily snuck Roquette out of the school, rushing her down the street. Aqualad quickly came up with a plan and everyone nodded, knowing their roles, though in Artemis and Kid Flash's case, not exactly liking them either. They split up, leaving Aqualad and running to a house at the end of the road, the doctor in tow. It looked deserted, thankfully, Rhode Islanders went on vacations during August and Artemis quickly picked the lock, ushering the other two inside.

Roquette immediately began tapping at the computer's keys, easily bypassing the security system. Artemis waited by the window, glaring at Kid Flash as he perched on a filing cabinet.

_Stop it, both of you._ Aqualad said out of the blue.

_What?_ Artemis and Kid Flash demanded. They hadn't even said anything.

_I can hear you glaring._ The Atlantean said, sounding amused. Well then. Artemis and Kid looked pointedly away from each-other.

Something was outside, Artemis knew a moment before a big purple something-or-other kicked the doors open. KF leaped into action, but the thing was like Spiderman, jumping onto the ceiling and shooting webs at the kid. Artemis raised her bow to help when a big burly man with a hook smashed though the back wall. Whoever owned that house was not going to be happy! Artemis fired an arrow at him but the man dodged out of the way, taking cover behind a couch.

"Don't stop working!" Artemis ordered Roquette, who, looking terrified, turned back to the computer. Artemis pursued the man, shooting arrow after arrow at him, but he refused to get hit! The female assassin landed on the desk that the doctor was working on and Artemis's attention was diverted from her target for a second. A second Captain Hook utilized to knock her to the ground with his garish metal appendage.

"We've been duped!" The female assassin snarled. Artemis grinned from her crumpled heap on the ground, ignoring the shooting pain that lanced though her jaw. So, she'd figured out that Roquette was Miss M in disguise, now did she? Took long enough.

"You'll never find Dr. Roquette," Miss Martian promised, looking like herself again, floating above the three assassins.

"Never is such a long time." The woman said silkily, turning and rushing out of the room. "Pursuing target, keep 'em busy!" she ordered her two partners. Artemis pulled herself up and raced after the assassin without hesitating.

"Pursuing their leader!" she called back to Kid Flash and Miss Martian. "Take the rest down!"

"Oh, you are so not the boss of me!" Kid Flash retorted.

"Just do it!" Artemis cried, exasperated. She followed the assassin outside, stopping to fire an arrow when she had a clear shot. The woman spun and knocked the arrow out of the air.

"I was hoping it'd be you." What the hell did that mean? Artemis didn't have enough time to think about it, because the woman leaped up into the rooftops with amazing speed and agility, making it that much harder to follow her. Finally, Artemis saw a shot, nailing a chimney with one of her sharper arrows, sending out a spray on noxious fumes to handicap the assassin. The woman coughed and fell on her back, unconscious, but even so, Artemis jumped onto the roof cautiously and approached the woman slowly, bow ready. Not ready enough. The woman opened her eyes and exploded into movement, knocking Artemis flat on her back.

"Mask has built in filters," she bragged. Great for her, not so much for Artemis. She jumped to her feet and lashed out, but the assassin caught her from behind in a nearly unbreakable hold. "Better luck next time, kid." she purred. Then everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>MWAHAAHAHAHAA! Cliffhanger, anyone? So any favorite Artemis moments in this chapter, I know this is the one everyone was wating for: she finally worked with the team! This is the very first time that I've done anything like that so I'd LOVELOVELOVE any feedback on how I did because I might be writing episodes later in the story (maybe...hint hint...) so let me know!<strong>

**~Fae**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not...eh, it's the same as always, guys.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone who added me to their watch/favorites lists...you guys are BEAST! Special thanks to **_videoezy2, Coconuate, Hinn-Raven, KF-AxxMexx, artieelover, and GrayAreas _**for reviewing! Thanks to you guys I have 45 reviews to my story! Woot woot! And to _**artieelover**_, I am keeping couples in mind, don't you worry! **_GrayAreas_**: He's going to be PISSED! MWAHAHAHA! To everyone else: send questions and I'll either answer them here or message you! Keep reading, keep reviewing!

**Author's Note #2: **This chapter is fondly dedicated to _**Wheatieluv, **_who gave me an idea for a new character that is featured in this chapter! Love to you!

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><p>Artemis jerked awake, overwhelmed by two feelings: the need to go and kick the crap out of the assassin who'd knocked her out and anger. White hot and volatile. Channel that anger, Jade's voice reminded her. The hell I will, Artemis thought, jackknifing to her feet and taking off, ignoring the dizziness that threatened to send her crashing down to the pavement below.<p>

She knew where the woman would be: the Sandbar internet cafe. The place where they'd hidden the real Dr. Roquette. Artemis ran hard and fast, her feet slapping against rooftops, jumping higher and farther than she could ever remember. Because now she wasn't just worried about herself. Aqualad and Roquette were also in danger. There! Artemis didn't stop moving this time, but kept moving as she shot four arrows into the ground at the assassin's feet.

The arrows exploded on impact. There, GA, she thought, I kept my promise. That explosion was helpful to the mission. Artemis jumped to the ground, her bow trained on the assassin, tensing as the smoke cleared.

"Don't move a muscle." Artemis ordered. The woman's face was turned away from her, but she could hear her laugh lightly as she stood.

"Wow. I am completely at your mercy." she said, turning. Artemis gasped softly. No, it had to be a mistake...it couldn't be...the mask was wrong...

"You." she whispered.

"I suppose now you bring me to justice. Let your new friends interrogate me. I wonder if your position is secure enough to survive them learning everything I know." Jade Nguyen threatened, her voice smooth and light the entire time. Artemis tightened her hold on her bow. Should she risk it? No...Jade knew to much. Green Arrow thought that though her knew a little of Artemis's past, he knew everything. He'd barely scratched the surface of the things she'd done. Slowly, Artemis lowered her bow in defeat. Jade smiled sinisterly. "Didn't think so," she started backing away. "So like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just... disappear." And she did, into a cloud of smoke, vanishing as soon as it had cleared.

"Artemis," Aqualad said, limping out of the internet cafe, leaning heavily on the doctor and pulling undoubtedly poisoned darts out of his chest. "Where's the assassin?"

"She – she got away." Artemis said, ashamed.

"No, from you?" Kid Flash asked sarcastically, running up beside her. "Oh, big surprise. Notice, we got ours. Cool! Souvenir!" Artemis didn't respond, taking a few steps away from the team, letting him pick up her aunt's mask, not wanting her voice to give her away.

"The mask?" Aqualad observed. "Did you see her – her face?" Artemis could hear the pain in his voice and winced. She knew firsthand how much those darts hurt.

"It was dark." Artemis said defensively, keeping her back to the rest of them. She could've just said no.

"It is fine." Aqualad said, sounding just the tiniest bit disappointed. Artemis's heart sank, knowing that the obvious leader of the team found fault with her, then she told herself to snap out of it. This was a just a trial. She didn't care about them, she didn't want his approval. "Robin and Superboy neutralized the Fog," Aqualad continued, "and Doctor Roquette is safe, thanks in no small part to you." Artemis turned back to face the group cautiously. "Welcome to the team." Slowly, Artemis felt herself smiling as Aqualad shook her hand.

"I've always wanted a sister." Miss Martian chimed in. "Here in Earth, I mean. I have twelve back home and, believe me, it's not the same."

"I – I wouldn't know." Artemis said quickly, sending a quick mental apology to Athena, wherever she was. She just didn't want to walk that emotional minefield right now. "But, thanks." Miss Martian looked expectantly at Kid Flash, then elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Ow. Yeah, welcome." he said, sounding less than pleased. Quickly deciding to be the bigger person, Artemis extended her hand to the irritating boy, who, after a moment's hesitation, shook it.

"If you guys are done rolling out the welcome wagon, I'd like to go home." Dr. Roquette broke in, completely killing the mood. Artemis and Miss M locked eyes, both sharing a look that wondered how the doctor could still be so ungrateful, then quickly tried to suppress their laughter. Maybe, Artemis thought, I do belong here.

After they'd dropped the doctor off in Star City, Artemis took her cue and said goodbye to the rest of the team, then went searching for the old phone booth. Robin had protested, something about being debriefed, but Artemis had only laughed and waved him off.

"It is fine." Aqualad said gently to the bird. "It is late, and she has earned it." Robin pouted, but didn't question the Atlantean.

When Artemis beamed back into Gotham, she heard something moving in the shadows of the alley and sprang into action, unfolding her bow and arming it in seconds. Should've been faster, but she was still disoriented from the Zeta beam.

"Step into the light." she commanded. "Now."

"Nice move," Red Arrow said, walking into the dim streetlights. Artemis lowered her bow. He wasn't a threat. "Almost made me believe you are Green Arrow's niece. But we both know you're not." Artemis's eyes narrowed. If he knew she was lying, why confront her one-on-one, as opposed to in front of the entire team? "Still, I'm sure GA and Bats have a reason for lying. So your cover's safe." Was this blackmail? "But I warn you," Red Arrow said, leaning in threateningly. "Do not hurt my friends." He turned and walked away, having made his point. Artemis stood for a second. Was her being a part of the team endangering the others? Had Cheshire been there tonight because of her? She sighed. It was late and there was no point pondering those questions all night. It was time to get home and, more importantly, get to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Artemis! Artemis, wake up!" Paula said urgently, shaking her sleeping daughter. She'd known that Artemis had been on hero duty last night and had returned late, but she'd been asleep when her daughter had climbed in through the window at one in the morning.<p>

"What?" Artemis said, rousing groggily. "Mom!" she complained, seeing the time. "It's seven a.m.!"

"Artemis come with me now!" Reluctantly, Artemis let her mother drag her out of bed and into the living room where the morning news report was playing on T.V.

"In other news, it seems that a new face has risen in the superhero world. This masked girl was seen at the scene of a bank robbery a little under a week ago, fighting alongside Green Arrow in Star City." A fuzzy picture of Artemis, fully decked out in her hero gear dominated the screen. "A witness just recently came forward and we have her with us here today, Miss Serina DeLeone, a Star City local. So, Serina, can you tell me what you saw?" The reporter asked charmingly.

"Well," the small girl said, sounding eager. "I was on my way to the supermarket and I heard sirens, so I decided to check it out. Maybe get a picture with Green Arrow, you know?" The girl laughed self-consciously. She was tiny, thin and lithe, like a dancer, with luminescent blue eyes and short, spiky black hair that contrasted sharply with her fair skin. "And then, out of nowhere, there was the sound of shattering glass, so I looked up onto the roof of the bank, and there she was!"

"What exactly did she look like?" The reported questioned, relentless.

"Well, she had blonde hair and she was wearing a green outfit, so I figured that she was with Green Arrow. Oh yeah, and she had a bow and arrow, which you know, kind of solidified the Green Arrow theory. But I only saw her for a minute because she jumped into the bank through the broken skylight. That was the breaking glass that I'd heard. She was amazing!"

"Thank you so much for your time, Serina." The reporter flashed the tiny girl a fake smile and turned back to the camera. "So, everyone wants to know: who is this mystery girl? Where did she come from? And...what is up with the Green Arrow fixation? If anyone has any information they'd like to submit to the press, call the number on the screen. This is Rob Rivers, signing off." Artemis stared at the television, stunned and completely at a loss for words.

"Artemis," Paula said, breaking the silence. "Is that supposed to happen?" Honestly, Artemis had no idea.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Artemis burst out finally. This was unbelievable! Artemis stood angrily, pacing around the cramped space. She had half a mind to go to the news station and beat the hell out of the reporter right now! "Mom," she said, making up her mind. "I have to go. I'm going to go work this out, okay? I'll be back later."

"Artemis," her mother said, grabbing her arm. "Please, do not do anything dangerous, okay?" Artemis nodded, not bothering to change into her hero suit, choosing instead a pair of dark jeans and a white top, then slid down the fire escape and ran up the street.

"Oliver!" Artemis shouted, pounding on the hero's door. "Oliver, open up!" Damn, why didn't he just give her a key already! Artemis briefly debated whether or not to pick the lock but for once she didn't have her picks safely pinned in her hair. It would take too long and she didn't have a modicum of the patience it would take to jimmy the lock the long way. With an exasperated groan, Artemis spun wildly and practically flew back to the Zeta station, barely caring about the heebie jeebies the stupid thing gave her.

"Mount Justice!" she dictated, then squeezed her eyes shut before the blast of light blinded her anyway.

"Hey, hey, mystery girl. You looked great on the news this morning." Artemis opened her eyes then frowned. She was pissed, and the one person she did not want to see was standing right in front of her. The embodiment of irritating, Kid Flash was just as cocky in his civvies with his painfully red hair purposefully spiked up than when he was wearing his obnoxious hero uniform.

"I'd love to talk to you right now, Baywatch, I really would," Artemis said coldly. "Oh wait," she stopped, thinking. "No I wouldn't."

"Wally, don't patronize her." Miss Martian said, floating into the central area. Artemis couldn't help it, she laughed.

"Your name is Wally?" she snorted. Wally's eyes narrowed, losing their arrogant edge.

"Says the girl named after a pagan deity," he retorted. Artemis stopped short, putting her hand over her heart.

"Ooh, hurtful. Like I haven't heard that one before. Next time you want to make fun of my name, try something original, why don't you?" Miss Martian suddenly let out a peal of laughter.

"Megan!" Wally cried, sounding betrayed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Wally, but that was funny." Huh, so the Martian thought that she was funny. Artemis guessed that it took an alien to appreciate her comedic genius. "And you shouldn't be so hard on her."

"Megan is right." And there was Aqualad. Did any of these guys actually, say, go home last night? "We need to be welcoming, after all, she is a part of the team." He turned to Artemis, smiling kindly. "My name is Kaldur'ahm, but you can call me Kaldur."

"My name's the same, even as a hero." Artemis said, shrugging. Oliver had said that was fine, so it was good enough for her.

"Don't you think that is dangerous?" Megan asked, her rusty red-brown eyes wide with concern. "If the villains figure it out..."

"No one knows who I am." Artemis said, her frustration at the news this morning boiling to the surface. "They just know that I'm with GA. I wasn't supposed to be known at all..." she trailed off, grumbling.

"Publicity is something that we all have to deal with." Kaldur said, like that explanation was supposed to make her feel better. It didn't.

"Yeah well, nobody thought that it would be nice to tell me that when I signed on." Artemis said sullenly. "So Megan, Kaldur, Wally. Where's Superboy and the Boy Wonder?"

"Superboy is sleeping. He got too much sunlight yesterday and needs to sleep it off," Kaldur said this like it should mean something to her, but Artemis was just confused. "And Robin was recalled to Gotham early this morning. What about you, where do you live?" Artemis hesitated.

"Gotham. With my mom." Megan squealed in excitement and launched into a series of horribly personal questions, all of which Artemis artfully deflected or danced around like a pro.

"Who taught you to shoot?" Kaldur asked, noting Artemis's clear dislike of questions about her private life.

"I did." Artemis said, remembering her cover story. Eh, she practiced enough by herself that it could've been true.

"Impressive." Kaldur'ahm said. "No one was there to help you?"

"I had my uncle for the trick arrows." Artemis smiled, remembering the first time she'd tried to use an exploding arrow. "I almost blew myself up the first time. I pretty much sucked."

"So nothing's changed." Wally said. Artemis fixed him with a cold glare.

"Want to find out?" Kaldur and Megan thought that was a good idea, taking her hostility as a good way to enforce "team building" or something like that. Within minutes, they'd dragged her down to the mountain's gymnasium/workout center and set up a makeshift shooting range.

"Do you even have a bow on you?" Wally asked, eying her civvies. Right, like she wouldn't have her bow on her. Seriously, this kid was just full of stupid questions. Artemis whipped her bow out and armed it with four arrows, then quickly took aim and nailed four of the targets that had been set up. Bullseye.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked. That was all it took for the four of them to launch into a full-out power demo. Megan soared around the gym, levitating objects (and occasionally her teammates), Kaldur demonstrated awesome power in his water-bearers, forming them into whatever he needed to overcome an obstacle and Wally zipped around the room like it was a giant pinball machine, dodging Artemis's arrows (the blunted ones, for safety reasons) and Artemis showed off her martial arts expertise and competence with all sorts of weapons.

"How – how did you learn Vo Thuat?" Kaldur asked, referring to an ancient form of Vietnamese martial arts, panting heavily. Artemis had to admit that she was out of breath herself.

"My aunt taught me," she said without thinking. She tensed, waiting for Kaldur to call her out, name her a Shadow, or something. But he didn't.

"Aaaargh!" Wally's battle cry sounded and Artemis shot her grappling gun into the ceiling, then catapulted herself into the air, barely missing a bear hug from the speedster. Somewhere along the line the fight had become more fun than confrontational, though Artemis knew that Wally was going after her more often than the others. Maybe he was still mad about her taking Red Arrow's place on the team. In her opinion, though, the guy was a total downer anyway; she was way more fun to have around. You know, when she liked people.

"That," she called down to the boys. "I learned from Robin." Megan laughed and clapped her hands in midair.

"Do you need help getting down?" she asked and Artemis could suddenly feel the Martian's presence on the boundaries of her mind, not overbearing or intrusive, but still there, nonetheless. Yeah, she wasn't okay with that.

"I'm fine, thanks." Artemis said, dropping to the floor. She bent her knees, preparing for the ominous and slightly disgusting popping sound that came with impact, but her feet never touched the floor.

"Um, Wally?" Artemis said, disconcerted by the fact that the speedster had caught her. "You can put me down. I'm not a doll, I won't break, I promise."

"You never know," he said, uncomfortably, as if Wally could barely believe he'd caught her as well. "You could be made of glass and we'd never know it."

"Oh, please. After the beating you three just gave me, I'll be sore for weeks. If I was glass, I'd be history." Artemis joked. Wait, she told a joke? With people that she'd just met? Artemis was quietly dumbfounded. Maybe, subconsciously, of course, she really did like these teen heroes. Who'd have thought? "Now, is there anything to eat around here? I'm starving."

"I'll make cookies!" Megan cried and flew out of the room. Artemis turned to the boys. Cookies? she mouthed. They shrugged. Just go with it.

* * *

><p>"Recognize: Robin, B01," the computer called out. Robin limped into the cave, sore and battered, mentally and physically. Still, something compelled him to go to the mountain, even after the mission went as horribly as it had. Robin had been utterly unable to keep his head in the game and as a result he was a hindrance, rather than a help, to Batman. Not only that, but his adopted father had given him a brutal tongue-lashing when they returned to the Batcave. The Dark Knight had never been one to spare feelings. Robin sighed. Maybe KF was around...he really needed something to laugh about right now.<p>

"You ass!" Robin tensed, recognizing Mob G – er, Artemis's voice coming from within the mountain. Though she'd proven herself to be more than capable on the mission last night, Robin still worried. Why hadn't he been informed that she was going to be joining the Team? Wasn't he trustworthy enough to handle the information? After all, he'd been the one to discover her existence in the first place. But right now, she sounded mad, and Robin knew firsthand what she could do when provoked.

The Boy Wonder followed the sound of voices, rushing into the living room: a large cavern split between two "rooms:" the kitchen, with modern appliances and a fully-stocked fridge (Kid Flash was always hungry) and the den area which was comprised of an oversized couch and an enormous flat-screen T.V. where Superboy liked to watch static. However, Superman's clone wasn't occupying the couch at the moment, instead, Artemis was standing on one end of the couch, looking positively outraged and holding a bowl filled with popcorn like it was full of grenades. Robin had never seen her in her civvies before and it was weird. He'd come to always picture her with a mask on. Somehow, she was much prettier when her could see her face...kind of familiar as well.

"Take that back!" she screeched. Wally shot to his feet as well, wielding his own popcorn bowl.

"Not a chance!" Wally shouted back. "Star Trek is, and always will, be better than Star Wars!" In reply, Artemis threw a handful of popcorn, screaming: "Trekkie!" Then before his eyes, Robin saw a full-blown popcorn war unfold between the two heroes who'd been at each-others throats only the night before.

"What is going on?" Robin murmured aloud, wandering into the kitchen to keep from being pelted by popcorn.

"I dunno," Superboy said sleepily, watching Megan flit around the kitchen, sending ingredients flying everywhere, preparing cookie batter.

"They are arguing over what movie to watch." Aqualad said in his usual serene manner.

"What is a Trekkie?" Megan managed to slow her frenzy enough to ask. Robin smiled.

"Nothing, it's not important." He turned around when he heard footfalls behind them. They weren't Wally's fast, impatient footsteps, they were soft and light. Artemis.

"Hey bird-boy. Want to tell your idiot friend that Star Wars is better than Star Trek?"

"Is not!" Wally called from the den. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Erm, I'd rather not get into that. I need to talk to you." Robin said, finally realizing. Artemis. Artemis Crock. Athena's sister, the girl who'd been at his house just two months ago.

"Yes?" Artemis sang, reminding him suddenly of Cheshire.

"Can we trust you?" Robin had to admit, his seriousness surprised even him. These were his friend. These were his teammates. And she was associated with assassins that were determined to kill them, should they ever find out about the Team's existence. Artemis's playful expression vanished, a cool, cruel-looking mask replacing it.

"I was wondering the same thing about you. You owe me. Keep my secret and we stay even."

"This is my team. They're my family." Robin suddenly sounded small and he hated himself for it. Artemis's face didn't change but Robin thought that the ice in her cold gray eyes melted, just every so slightly. Yeah, he'd forgotten that she knew all about losing family.

"I don't screw with families," she said softly, looking at him with a kinship he hadn't ever seen in her before. Robin nodded and they rejoined the group, this time as teammates.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own YJ...maybe it's for the best...if I did own it, I would fear for my life at this point (has anyone else seen the Internet-raves about the lack of episodes?)

**Author's Note: **Sorry this is a little late...I worked really hard on this chapter (I rewrote it about 6 times) so I'd love feedback! Special thanks to**_ GrayAreas, meg524, shesXsuperXfreaky, Wheatieluv, Ally 3_ **and**_ shadow rose2717. _**You guys ROCK! Oh, and to **_Ally 3_**, welcome to my story, thanks for reviewing!

**Author's Note #2: **This chapter is dedicated to **_meg524_** because she gave me one of the new characters introduced! Woot woot! Go Meg!

**Author's Note Numero Tres: **Okay, I had a thought. And it might be really stupid, but I'm going to have a go at it anyways. Here goes: if any of my readers would like to submit fan art for my story, I'm trying to figure out a way to accept it (DeviantArt, something like that) but I have no idea how. So this is a request to everyone: if you know how I could accept fan art, could you let me know? And if you'd like to submit it, I'd LOVE YOU FOR FREAKING EVER! Yeah, that was my thought... Read away!

* * *

><p>"Hey Mom!" Artemis practically sang, flying into the apartment a few hours later. "You won't believe..." Artemis stopped short. There were two strangers sitting in her living room with her mother. They were obviously mother and daughter, both with soft, auburn-colored hair and pale skin. The younger girl – who looked to be about Artemis's age, maybe a year or so younger – had, however, chopped hers off in a style that looked like she'd used a butcher's knife. It was ragged and choppy and, Artemis thought appraisingly, pretty freaking awesome.<p>

"Ah, here you are. Leslie, June, this is my daughter, Artemis." Paula introduced them. "Con gái, this is Leslie Snow and her daughter, June." Artemis raised an eyebrow. June Snow? Really? The girl caught her look and stood quickly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Ironic name, right? I've heard about every insult in the book so if you want to have a crack at it, now's your chance." Leslie looked at her daughter and sighed, exasperated.

"June!" she scolded. Artemis took one look at the girl and made up her mind.

She laughed.

"Oh please. Once you grow up in this city sharing the name of a Greek goddess, you let me know. _Then_ we can talk about swapping insults."

"I think out daughters will get along very well." Paula said, shaking her head slightly. Artemis grinned at her mother. "Artemis, the Snows have moved in next door."

"Cool." Artemis said, thinking. That might prove problematic when she was getting in late at night. Artemis frequently used the ledge of the formerly-abandoned apartment to sneak in more quietly. The fire escape was far too nosiy, she found, to be used at three in the morning. Artemis was still musing when a new voice entered the scene.

"Hey, kiddo!" Oliver called, not bothering to knock. He was over so often it didn't matter that much anyway. "You home?"

"You guys sure are popular," June commented. Artemis shrugged and ran to meet her mentor.

"Oliver, hi. We have _company_." Artemis stressed the last word, praying that he'd get it. Oliver winked, which was in no way reassuring, then brushed past her into the living room.

"Hello, Paula, and hello..."

"Leslie, and this is my daughter, June," Leslie answered quickly standing. Now the only one still sitting was Paula.

"Nice to meet you all, my name is Oliver, I'm Artemis's tutor." Artemis held back a snort. Tutor, superhero mentor and the guy who almost threw her in prison (not that she was still bitter or anything), same difference. "However, Paula, Artemis and I have to work now." Paula got the message.

"Oh, how could I lose track of the time? Go ahead, Artemis. Ca_n than_." Be careful.

"Always." Artemis kissed her mom on the cheek, waved to the Snows and followed Oliver out of the apartment.

"So what's the mission?" Artemis asked eagerly. Oliver winced and kept walking, refusing to talk about it until they were in his apartment.

"Okay, Leia, I want you to hear me out. Whatever you do don't say..."

* * *

><p>"No!" Artemis cried, pacing and fuming. "Not a damn <em>chance<em>!"

"Oh, come on!" Oliver pleaded. "I need you! This is a credible threat in our city, so it's up to us to take care of it!"

"Gotham is my city!" Artemis shot back. Oliver fixed her with a withering look.

"So you'd rather work with Batman?" Er, no. Artemis would rather gargle bleach, but that was neither here nor there.

"That's not the point!" Artemis shouted. "Tell me to go infiltrate the League of Shadows, tell me to go steal a hundred-million dollars, tell me to go and pretend that being around Batman doesn't make me want to throw myself off of a tall building, I'll do it! Anything but _this_!"

"I'll be listening in the entire time." Oliver said. Right, like that was supposed to make her feel better. He wasn't going to be there! "And...I need you."

Artemis felt her resolve weakening. "And I'll have to wear a dress?"

"I'm going to provide everything, don't worry." Again, not making her feel better. "You're going to look beautiful." Artemis glared at him furiously and hit his arm. Hard. "Ow! That was a compliment, crazy!"

"I hope you know that I'll hate your forever for this." Artemis threatened.

"I think that – somehow – you'll find it in your heart to forgive me." Oliver smirked. He knew that he'd won. Artemis hit him again.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Artemis!" M'gann exclaimed when Artemis beamed back to Mount Justice. "I didn't know you were coming back today. Is everything okay?" Artemis looked like a person about to do something they really didn't want to. And she did not look happy about it.<p>

"I need your help." Artemis grumbled, explaining the situation. Megan didn't make it better by squealing with delight and clapping her hands like a child presented with an unexpected present. Artemis hung her head and groaned. This was going to be awful.

"You look beautiful." Megan said two hours later, sounding awed. Artemis grimaced, unbelieving. Apparently, when getting "made over," the victim wasn't allowed to see what was being done to her. Something about it being a surprise. Artemis truly hated surprises. The last time she'd been surprised by something, Jade had come to town, and God knew how well _that_ had went. "Go on, you can turn around now." Artemis turned slowly toward the mirror, bracing herself for the worst. The girl she saw didn't meet her terminally low expectations in the slightest. That girl had a waterfall of gold hair that tumbled around her face in waves that somehow accentuated her dark gray eyes, which sparked and flashed like some strange, unknown gemstone. But Artemis's eyes were torn away from the girl's face as she took in her dress: a stunning strapless number that simmered, even in the harsh light, a brilliant, emerald green. Ha, green; oh, the irony. It took a moment to realize that the girl in the mirror was her. Artemis had never seen herself like that, like someone who was pretty, before. It was different, to say the least.

After a few adjustments, Artemis felt more like herself again. She snapped the heels off of the stilettos she was wearing and quickly relaced them with the slim knife-pins that Jade had given her, then put in fancy-shmancy faux-emerald earrings, one of which hid a comm device, the other one could be activated as a smoke bomb in case anything went horribly wrong and she needed to get out of there fast. Artemis's bow, of course, would be neatly stored in her purse, along with a bunch of other sharp objects.

"I look..." Artemis started, still not believing that it was really her in the mirror.

"Stunning." Megan said, almost sounding proud. "You look stunning. Ooh!" she jumped suddenly. "We need to go, he will be here any minute!" Artemis glowered, her mood darkening again.

"You had to remind me?" she sulked. The last thing that she wanted to do was parade around Mount Justice in a dress!

"Hello, Megan!" Wally said, sidling up to the green girl, then his eyes widened when he caught sight of her companion. "Wow," he said, despite the vicious "say anything and I'll gut you like a fish" look Artemis was shooting him. "Artemis, you clean up good."

"And you still look like crap." Artemis snapped.

"Whoa, Artemis." Really? Was every boy in the whole freaking state going to come and ogle at her? Artemis wondered.

"I know!" she shouted. "I look like a freaking princess! We get it!" Robin, in his civvies, eyes hidden by dark sunglasses, grinned widely.

"I wasn't going to say anything." He turned to Wally. "Who knew that princesses had such tempers?" The two idiots chortled and gave each-other thrilled high-fives. Artemis wanted to kill them. And she would've, but the computer interrupted her before she could do anything that Batman would frown upon. Like, for example, killing his protege.

"_Recognize: Red Arrow, B-06."_ The computer announced.

"Is there a school dance that we weren't invited to?" Wally demanded, seeing Red Arrow – er, no Oliver had said that his name was Roy. He was completely dressed up in an elegant black suit and tie that somehow didn't clash with his short-cropped red hair and looked – Artemis truly hated to admit it – hot.

"Are you ready?" Roy asked tersely.

"No."

"Let's go."

"What is going on?" Wally demanded, the last thing Artemis heard before the Zeta beam blinded her and she dissolved.

"Do you know the plan?" Roy asked when they landed in Star City. Artemis growled. Ah, yes, the plan. The darling plan that was the reason that she was dressed up like a show pony and going to some stupid socialite event. Because apparently, a party girl with a rich daddy was being threatened by the League of Shadows...something about being ransomed off. But, being the spoiled little princess she was, the girl insisted on having "the party of the year" anyway, regardless of the threat. That's where Artemis and Red – Roy – came in. Artemis had suggested that they just patrol the perimeter, but no, Oliver had insisted that they go in stupid dresses and monkey suits, in order to "observe from the inside."

"Yes I know the plan." Artemis snapped. "I pretend that I can stand you enough that I'd actually let you take me out on a date, keep an eye out for the social butterfly with no regard for her own safety, and, hopefully, kick some Shadow ass. Work for you Red – Roy?" Artemis asked, stumbling on the name again.

"It's Red Arrow or Roy. Pick one," he hissed. Artemis pretended to contemplate that for a second.

"Okay Red." she said, settling on a happy medium and, more importantly, an option that wasn't an option. The archer looked like her wanted to retort, but was interrupted by a burly bouncer barring their way. Artemis saw that behind him, golden light spilled onto the street and soft classical music played in the background. That would explain the fancy dress. Party of the year, not so much. It was more of a debutant ball than a rave.

"Names," the bouncer growled in a deep, rumbling voice.

"Try 'Goddess.'" Artemis said, batting her eyelashes and leaving Roy completely nonplussed. What was she playing at? Did she think that her little tease would make getting in any easier? But, to his complete surprise, the bouncer laughed and opened the gate without consulting his little guest list.

"Goddess, eh? Go on in. And," he grabbed her arm in passing, "stop by later." And then he winked. Winked. Un-freaking-believable.

"Oh, he's with me," Artemis said silkily when the bouncer tried to keep Roy from passing. The enormous man frowned. "Don't worry, strong man. I'll ditch him later," she said in a stage-whisper. "He's a total tool." The man laughed again and let Roy passed, but not without giving him a mocking and infuriatingly superior look. Roy ground his teeth.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, grabbing Artemis's arm. She stopped abruptly, looking at him, then at his hand clasped around her arm, then back at him, her eyes hard, all traces of the flirtatious girl she'd been a minute ago long gone.

"That was the truth. I am named after a goddess and you are a tool. Are you done with the stupid questions now, Red?" Artemis didn't give him a chance to answer. "Target sighted. I'll approach. You go dance with some debutantes," she said, breaking his grip and vanishing into the crowd before Red could protest.

"I've got eyes on the target." Artemis spoke into her comm.

"Good." GA responded immediately. "How's the party?" he asked conversationally. Artemis could hear him smiling.

"You are so lucky that these heels keep me from running or I would be out of here in two seconds."

"Well that, and because of your deep-rooted loyalties to me and the League."

"You, maybe. The League, ha! Not on your life!"

"Oh come on, are we that bad? Is Roy that bad?"

"In a word: yes."

"Play nice, princess."

"Haven't you heard? I'm surrounded by princesses, but none of them seem to be playing very nice." GA chuckled over the static-y comm link.

"Radio in any new information."

"May the Force be with me." Artemis grumbled. "I'm going to need it." Artemis turned off her comm, not wanting GA in her head, and made her way to the middle of the dance floor, where a blonde girl was clearly the center of attention – and loving it.

"Awesome party." Artemis said, flashing her a winning smile. The girl looked at her like she was something nasty that had crawled out from under a rock.

"And you are...?" she asked, turning her nose up and glaring at Artemis superiorly. Artemis felt herself bristle. She'd hated that look when Robin had given it to her, she didn't like it any more now. In a flash, Artemis wasn't at the dance anymore, but back at the playground in fourth grade, being looked down upon by snooty girls just like the one in front of her because she didn't have a trust-fund or expensive clothes. She'd hated them. She hated this girl.

"Artemis." Red's voice brought her back to reality and she tried to calm down. Inhale, exhale. Repeat. Easy now, girl, don't blow your cover. The party girl's eyes were torn toward Red and she smiled at him flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes. Artemis wanted to vomit.

"Ooh, who are you?" Party Girl asked in a high, reedy voice that was obviously supposed to catch Red's attention. It didn't work. He barely looked at her, and instead pulled Artemis away from the girl and to the edge of the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" Artemis hissed when Red started leading her in some kind of waltz. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that one of his hands was on her shoulder, the other holding her waist. Artemis narrowed her eyes, clearly communicating that he was on very thin ice. Tread carefully.

"We're supposed to be dating. We are at a dance, so we dance." Red said slowly, like he was talking to a kindergartener.

"Can you even dance?" Artemis shot, hoping to bait him. What she really needed to do was siphon off some of the anger she was feeling. Instead of answering, Red twirled her abruptly, transforming the room into a whirlwind of indistinguishable colors. When Artemis could see again, she and Red were mere inches apart. Too close. The alarm bells screamed in her head. He was too close! Artemis started to break away, but a single glimpse of an extremely tall figure over his shoulder was enough to make her go rigid. No...oh God, please, no.

"Oh no." Artemis whispered, some of her panicked thoughts spilling out of her mouth.

"What is it?" Red murmured. He didn't stop dancing, didn't call attention to them, but Artemis could feel his muscles tensing under her fingers. For the first time, Artemis looked up at his face, surprised to find that his blue eyes were filled with concern.

"They're here." Artemis said softly. "The Shadows. Stay here and whatever happens, do not follow me." He knows what I look like, he can't know the ID of another Leaguer, she thought.

"What?" Red demanded, his voice harsher this time, but Artemis had already wiggled out of his grip and made her way across the room.

"Didn't think that was your kind of scene." Artemis said conversationally to the man in the corner of the room. "But then again, your scene is wherever you can cause panic, isn't it?"

"Well well, look who's come a long way since our last little reunion. Shocked to see me alive?"

"I learned a long time ago that with you, anything is possible." Artemis spat, fighting to keep her cool. "Dad."

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><p><strong>Okay, guys, so if any of you know how to set up a account where I can accept fan art, or if you, unlike me, have any artisitic ability whatsoever and would like to grace my story with your talents, just message me! Keep reading, it gets better!<strong>

**~Fae**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Same old, same old...

**Author's Note: **I'm almost at 60 reviews! Supermegaepicdanceofhappiness! WOOT WOOT! Special thanks to (as always) **_GrayAreas, Coconuat, Boomihavearrived, xstoriexluvrx, _**and**_ shadow rose2717. _**Oh, and **Boomihavearrived**, keep reading my stuff, because I'm almost done with a one-shot inspired by youuuuu!

**Author's Note #2: **Okay, so I'm going to camp today and I won't be back until Saturday...I sincerely apologize for the agonizingly long wait, but just keep reviewing and rating! Let's get the rewview count over 70 for this chapter!

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><p>Lawrence stepped out of the shadows, leering wolfishly at his daughter.<p>

"You look beautiful," he said, still sneering. In the shadowy half-light, his face looked like a grinning skull.

"And here I was, thinking that you didn't really care." Artemis snarled softly, simply itching to whip out her bow and impale his icy heart. And this time, she would make sure that he died. "Why are you here, Dad?" she asked.

"Does a father need an occasion to visit his daughter?" Artemis glared. She knew that this could get very violent, very fast, but Lawrence was up to something and she had to trust that she was good enough to evade – or, hopefully, fight – him if it came to it. "Actually, I came because I have a problem with the company you're keeping." Artemis had just a second to tense before Lawrence launched forward and clasped his hand around her wrist, dragging her away from the party. Artemis fought, but it was no use. She was in a dress, in heels, making it so much harder to struggle, and Lawrence had always been able to manhandle her.

"Let go!" Artemis hissed, not raising her voice. She knew better than to draw attention to herself. That would just end in more casualties.

"Oh no, kiddo, we have got to talk." Lawrence forced her through a back door and out into an alley behind the building, then slammed his daughter against the brick wall, pinning her there by her throat. "So, my daughter is in with the Justice League." Lawrence snarled. "I always knew that you were weak, but this is a new low, even for you"

"Coming from you, daddy?" Artemis choked on her laughter, earning her a backhand slap across the face. "That's...a...compliment." She spat out a mouthful of blood. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Artemis wondered where GA was. Wasn't he hearing all of this? Then she remembered: she'd turned off her damn comm! And told Red not to follow her. Artemis grimaced; she was on her own. Lawrence released her abruptly, taking a few steps back.

"Let's see, shall we?" Lawrence taunted her. "Let's see if the new hero can't beat her old dad." Artemis straightened, wiping blood from the corners of her mouth.

"Screw you!" she panted. Artemis knew that she was going to lose this fight, and she knew Lawrence knew it. It was just a matter of how long he would draw it out.

"No no, language," Lawrence tsked, surging forward. Artemis didn't even have time to brace herself before she felt the blows to her stomach and back, forcing her to her knees, out of breath, spots flying behind her eyes. "It's funny, really, how easy it was to leak false information to the League. A bit ridiculous, too, when all I wanted to do was talk to my darling daughter." Artemis fumed. It had been a set-up, and she'd played right into it!

"This...is your idea...of talking?" Artemis wheezed, trying to distract him. She stayed on the ground just long enough to reach up and touch her comm earring before trying to get back to her feet. Hopefully, Green Arrow was still listening.

"Not a chance, kiddo." Lawrence snarled, shoving Artemis to her feet, but not before gifting her with a swift kick in the chest. "You think I don't know a comm when I see one? But I'll let you off the hook for that one because I have a little message to your mentor: I'll be watching you, Artemis. Oh, and Green Arrow? Sportsmaster here. I'll give you a little free advice: Next time I'd do a more thorough background check on your sidekicks; this one's got quite a history." Artemis swore violently, lashing out, but it was no use, she was weak and oxygen-deprived. She really didn't stand a chance. Lawrence clubbed her over the head and, again, Artemis saw stars dancing, clouding her vision, but she didn't cry out.

"Good job. You're remembering what I taught you. Never show weakness."

"Never show fear." Artemis whispered, almost out of habit. The mantra was one she'd heard over and over during her training years. It was permanently ingrained in her brain. Lawrence chuckled and suddenly he was gone. Artemis collapsed to the ground, unable to hold herself up, her head swimming, but she managed to unhook one of the knives from her shoe's heel and hurled it at the shadows where he'd disappeared. From the darkness, Artemis heard a wet thunk and a grunt of pain, but other than that, the night had gone completely still.

"Kid?" GA's voice sounded in her earpiece, sounding horrified and scared. It was strange, she never heard him sound like that before. "Artemis?" he cried when she didn't answer.

"There is no...need...to shout." Artemis gasped. "I can...hear you."

"Where is Roy?" Green Arrow demanded. "Why did you let yourself be alone with Sportsmaster?"

"It was a setup. He gave you...false intel to...get to me." The oxygen was burning her lungs, bringing tears to her eyes. "That son of a bitch!" she spat venomously, bringing on a whole new round of tears. "I can't...believe...he played me...like that."

"Are you okay?" GA asked, worriedly, "Roy is coming now, don't move."

"Not...a problem." Artemis was pretty sure that she couldn't walk if she wanted to. She quickly ran a physical diagnosis. Warm, sticky blood was running freely from cuts on her face and forehead, but they were the least of her worries, head wounds always bled a lot. Artemis knew that tomorrow there would be ugly bruises on her neck and at least one of her ribs was definitely broken.

"Artemis!" Took him long enough, Artemis thought.

"Hey, Red." Artemis croaked. Instantly, the redheaded archer rushed forward and lifted Artemis into his arms. No... What was it with this boy and boundaries? Artemis wondered, fighting panic. He was, yet again, far too close for her comfort.

"What the hell happened?" Red demanded.

"Sportsmaster." Artemis spat. All of a sudden, Red went rigid again, like the last time Artemis had said something was wrong. "And you knew. You went and let him do this."

"Like you care." Artemis snapped, on nothing but pure reflex. She hated being criticized, especially by a boy she barely knew and had threatened her yesterday. "And put me down! I can handle myself."

"Clearly." Red shot back, ignoring her. "You're bleeding, there are finger marks on your neck and GA will kill me if I let you bang yourself up even more."

"Kid!" And then there were three. Was everyone going to be privy to her humiliation? Why didn't they just invite Batman to the party?

"I'm fine." Artemis insisted, lying through her teeth. "Put me down!"

"Not a chance." Artemis thrashed weakly and started yelling, almost incoherently.

"Oliver!" she cried, finally. "Just slap on some band-aids and let me go home. I. Am. Fine." Green Arrow frowned, worry creasing his eyebrows. He knew that this was all for show. Sportsmaster had really gotten to her. What had he said to her when Artemis was offline?

"No," GA said quickly. "I need to get you help. You could have internal bleeding, for all I know." Artemis turned toward her mentor, panic shining suddenly in her usually cool gray eyes.

"No hospitals." Artemis said, her voice shaking. She really couldn't help it, Lawrence had scared the hell out of her. Just because she refused to show fear didn't mean she never felt it. If she went to the hospital now, with it's horribly antiseptic smells and the threat of death forever lingering in the air, she'd break down completely. That, Artemis knew that for a fact. "I swear to God, Oliver, if you take me to a hospital..." It was an empty threat and they all knew it, but Green Arrow couldn't bring himself to take her to the hospital when she'd asked him not to. Artemis never asked for anything, at least not seriously. That, combined with her using his real name while they were on hero duty, meant that something was incredibly wrong.

"Come on, Roy," GA said, making his decision. "We're going to my place."

* * *

><p>By the time the ex-partners had arrived at Oliver's apartment, Artemis had passed out cold, whether from her various wounds or from exhaustion, neither of the archers knew.<p>

"Let her be," Oliver said, uncharacteristically serious, when Roy tried to wake her. Roy felt a stab of jealousy. Oliver actually trusted this girl, trusted her to the point that he was protecting her from the League by pretending that she was his niece – and, clearly, she wasn't – and then again by letting her into his home. It had taken months of proving himself before Oliver even considered opening up to him.

"I need an explanation." Roy said, unable to watch Oliver treating his replacement any longer. Sure, Oliver had patched him up loads of times, but it always had been business, he needed to be healthy so he could get his job done. It was always...less personal. When Oliver looked at Artemis, it was like he was seeing – caring for – the daughter he never had. For Roy, it was borderline unbearable to watch.

"What kind of explanation?" Oliver asked, looking wary. Protecting Artemis again.

"We both know she's not your niece." Roy hated that his voice sounded so petulant, so childish. "And if she's not related to you, who is she?"

"Roy – " Oliver started.

"No. Don't "Roy" me. I want the truth, Oliver, I deserve the truth." Just like he deserved to be shown the real HQ of the Justice League, but that wasn't the issue now. Oliver didn't look at him for what felt like a long time, busying himself by reapplying a bandage to a nasty cut on Artemis's forehead. Again, Roy was felt jealously twisting in his gut.

"She's just a kid, Roy, with a hell of a lot of family issues and a lot of anger. I can't tell you who she is or why we're lying to the rest of the team, but she's my responsibility and I trust her. Get it?" Yeah, yeah, he got it. "But she is not your replacement." Oliver said again. "You were my first...partner, and you're always welcome by my side."

"Granted that I deal with her, though, right?" Oliver's face didn't change, but his eyes went flat and opaque.

"Yes. Artemis is my protege now, but who says a hero can only have one?" Roy didn't answer that, he was too busy raging within his thoughts. Yes, he was the one who'd wanted to be respected, which was why he left the Hall that day in the first place, but he never thought that he'd be replaced by a girl whose origin was a secret. Was she really that dangerous? More importantly, was he really that forgettable?

Neither hero would stand down, until, finally, a machine beeped in the corner.

"Roy, please stay here." Oliver said, taking a vial of blood in his fingers, then grabbing a flash drive out of a oddly compact machine that Roy figured belonged in a medical center.

"Why should I?" Roy snapped.

"Because I need to leave. And because, unfortunately, they don't make at-home CT scans and I can't analyze the blood here, either." Oliver attempted a weak smile that Roy didn't return. "Just – just stay put and watch her in case she wakes up, alright?"

"Why. Should. I?" Roy asked again, his voice dangerously low.

"Because I asked you to, Roy, as a favor to me." To that, Roy had no retort. Oliver had saved his butt on many occasions and had never asked for anything in return. Now that he finally was, Roy couldn't turn him down. Damn.

Oliver took his silence as a confirmation and started to leave. "Oh, and if she does wake up, do not let her get to her bow. She will shoot you."

"Like she could hit me." Roy said snidely, finding his voice. Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"She's hit me." And that was all he said before he left. It wasn't long after that Roy started choking on a tidal wave black anger. It was suffocating him. What the hell did this girl have that he didn't have? Why was she so special? And why, of all things, did Oliver act like she was such a danger to him? She was a goddamned fifteen year old girl! There was no way she should've been better than him, there was no way she should've replaced him! On the Team, or as Oliver's partner.

"God damn it!" Roy shouted suddenly, smashing his fist into the wall and leaving a nice-sized crater there.

He was so engrossed in his own rage that he didn't notice the girl starting to stir on the couch

* * *

><p>Someone is shouting, Artemis thought absently. Why are they shouting? What is going on? Where am I?<p>

Then, all in a rush, it all came back to her. The party...Lawrence...Lawrence!

"Dad!" she screamed. _"Hãy đ tôi mt mìnhđa ngc ni mà bn thuc v và tránh xa tôi!Tôi s không cho phép bn làm tn thng chúng ta na_!" Leave me alone! Go to hell where you belong and stay away from me! I won't let you hurt us anymore! Artemis couldn't understand why she'd reverted to Vietnamese, or why there was another boy in Oliver's apartment, looking wary and tense, but she knew that she was in danger and that she had to protect herself. Ha! Artemis almost crowed with glee when she snatched her purse and found her bow still folded up inside it. In two seconds, the bow was assembled and nocked and Artemis was standing, ready and eager, ignoring the pain that throbbed through her entire body. She was ready for some good, old-fashioned ass-kicking.

"Where is he?" Artemis snarled at the boy, who, now that she was armed, didn't look wary anymore, just looked pissed. But he was just a triviality, if he got in the way, she'd cut him down without a second thought. "Where is my father?" Artemis repeated, tightening her hold on the bow.

"Your father?" the boy drawled, purposefully being unhelpful. Artemis growled in frustration and shot an arrow at his head.

"My father, Sportsmaster, whoever!" Artemis shouted. "Where the hell is he?" Ooh, so this one thinks he can shoot too, Artemis thought derisively, seeing the boy whip out a bow of his own. We'll see.

"Sportsmaster?" the boy asked, loosing an arrow his own. Artemis dodged it clumsily, inhibited by various injuries that she couldn't remember receiving, but guessed that had been inflicted by her father. Another reason she wanted to pierce his heart with an exploding arrow. Let him come back from _that_. "Your father is Sportsmaster?"

"What does it matter?" Artemis snarled.

"Artemis!" Artemis whirled, trying to suppress the nausea that was roiling in her stomach and surging up her throat. Oliver? Where had he come from? Artemis's eyes narrowed. And why was he standing with the boy who was sheltering her murderous excuse for a father? "What are you doing, kiddo?" Oliver asked gently. Artemis didn't lower her bow, still wondering what he was doing with the boy. A boy who was looking more and more familiar every second. Artemis still didn't know who he was, but she sure as hell didn't like him.

"Oliver?" Artemis mumbled, not understanding. "Where is my dad?"

"Why did you come back?" the boy hissed to her mentor.

"I heard a crash." Oliver answered him, ignoring Artemis's mounting confusion. "Why did you let her get a bow. I told you that this would happen." Wait, what?

"Where is he?" Artemis demanded, forcing their attention back on her.

"Artemis, Sportsmaster is gone. He was there for you, remember? He tricked us into letting you out into the open. Remember?" Was that what had happened? Artemis took another look at the boy beside her mentor. Red hair, blue eyes that were hard with anger and hate. Red.

A hazy blood-crimson fog lifted over Artemis's eyes. Funny how she never even noticed that it was there until it was gone. Slowly, cautiously, she lowered her bow, eying the two other archers suspiciously.

"Yes. I remember." Artemis said, and she did. Red hadn't been harboring Lawrence, he'd been with her...had she fallen asleep? Because she couldn't remember coming into the apartment.

"So, family issues? That's the understatement of the year." Red said, smirking hugely, turning to Oliver. Immediately, Artemis's head snapped up as she remembered what she'd said to him during her hazy, anger-induced fog. Oh _crap_! Artemis swung herself back into a defensive position, arrow nocked and aimed. To her complete surprise, Oliver's position mirrored her own. Artemis wasn't surprised, however, that he had a bow on him, even in his civvies. Archers were always prepared.

Red looked between the two of them, his expression tap-dancing the line between fear and...betrayal? What was that about? Artemis wondered, then snapped herself out of it. _Don't let your concentration waver._ Lawrence's voice shouted in her head. Artemis stiffened. She hadn't had a flashback in months. Tonight was one hell of a setback in her little quest of "forgetting Lawrence."

"Oliver?" Red's lips barely moved, but his voice still reverberated with pain. So the big, bad bad-ass had a soft side?

"What she said to you, you cannot repeat." Oliver said sternly. Artemis was proud of him, he sounding like he was channeling Batman.

"Ever." Artemis interjected, glaring. Red said nothing.

"Roy, I need your word on this." Oliver ordered.

"Fine. You have it." Red snarled, then shot Artemis a look that was – there was no other way to describe it – downright murderous. Artemis was startled slightly by the venom in his gaze; if looks could kill, she'd be six feet under. He didn't say anything more, just walked out. No swearing, no more evil looks, he just shouldered his bow and left.

"Artemis, are you feeling okay?" Oliver said, after casting a concerned look over his shoulder at the door.

"I'm fine." Artemis said for what felt like the millionth time that night. "I see you patched me up."

"And you tried your very best to hurt yourself again." Oliver said, smiling slightly. Then all of a sudden he got very serious. "But, Artemis, come on, do you know how incredibly stupid it was to let yourself be alone in a dark alley with Sportsmaster, of all people? Not only is he a sadistic maniac, he's your father and he had a grudge against you. He could've _killed_ you, Artemis. Do you realize that?" Of course she realized that, she'd freaking been stuck with the man for five years. She knew how he was, he was her parent, for God's sake!

"I know!" Artemis cried. Wait, her _parents_... Then, to Oliver's astonishment, she started laughing.

"What is wrong with you?" Oliver demanded, bringing on a whole new round of laughter. Artemis couldn't stand it – it was just too damn funny!

"Oh my God!" Artemis gasped finally, wiping the tears from her eyes. "My mom is going to _kill you_!"

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><p><strong>Come on, you know it's true. Paula is going to kick some Green Arrow butt! MWAHAHAHAHA!<strong>

**See you guys Saturday!**

**~Fae**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **Same old, same old

**Author's Note: ***Cowers in the corner, hiding from angry fans and pulling an epic Dobby..._bad, _Fae, _bad, _Fae!* I am so, so, so, so, so, SO sorry about the late update! I know that I said Saturday, but when I came home from camp I never got to go to sleep, and if I tried to write anything, the chapter would be a sad, pathetic three-page rag of half-formed sentences and crappy grammar.

**Author's Note #2: **Oh my GOODESS! I got 14 reviews in ONE DAY! That's more reviews than I've ever gotten on ANY chapter, let alone in one day! Not to mention the fact that I got 22 reviews total for ONE FREAKING CHAPTER! (If you haven't noticed, this makes me super-duper happy!) Special thanks to **_GrayAreas,_ _Little Miss Novella, shadow rose2717, shesXsuperXfreaky, Coconuat, xstoriexluvrx, nbtekugigs, yjfanatic, asdfghjkl321, artieelover, Momorulz, Kelsey_** and**_meg524. _**Everyone keep reviewing! I love what you have to say!

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><p><em>"Oliver <em>Queen<em>!"_ Paula shrieked, seeing the her carry her daughter into the apartment's living room, where she'd been watching T.V. Oliver winced noticeably.

"Mom!" Artemis interjected before she could build up steam. If Paula got momentum going, Artemis knew, she could yell for hours. Oliver laid Artemis down on the couch, but she stubbornly pushed herself back up into a sitting position and shot him a quick glare before addressing her mother again. "It's fine! I'm fine, I just got banged up is all."

"Is all?" Paula shouted, incredulous. "Is _all_? You look like you were hit by a bus! And are those – finger marks?" she asked, noticing the bruised where Lawrence had had Artemis by the neck and paling considerably. Damn, Artemis had been hoping that she wouldn't notice those.

"Yeah, Mom, but I'm okay, seriously."

"Paula – " Oliver started, stopping suddenly when she whirled on him, fire blazing in her eyes, looking spookily similar to her daughter for a moment.

"Oh no, do not try to defend yourself! You promised that you'd protect her! You said that you would keep her safe! And look at her now! She is _broken_!"

"Mom, I'm not broken!" Artemis cried indignantly, then scowled, trying to fight the infuriatingly faint feeling that crashed over her. And, to Artemis's dismay, her outburst did nothing to reassure her mother, but instead seemed to have made her point for her.

"You see! She cannot even argue! B_n __đ__ã phá v con gái tôi, bn nm khn! Bn nói rng bn mun bo v bn, _Oliver_! Bn ha!_" You broke my daughter, you lying bastard! You said you'd protect you, Oliver! You promised! Paula shouted. Oliver looked to Artemis for a translation.

"You don't want to know." Artemis promised quietly.

"This is a part of the job, Paula." Oliver said, his voice begging her to believe him. "I never meant for Artemis to get hurt, but it's a risk that we all take. You know that, I know that, she knows that."

"But you said – " Paula tried.

"I said that I'd try to keep her safe, but that's not a guarantee in our world."

"Then who did this to her?" Paula demanded.

"Just some thug with a bat." Artemis answered quickly, hoping that Oliver wouldn't call her out on the lie. "He wasn't even that good," she snarled with sudden vehemence. "If he was, my rib would be broken, not cracked."

"Your rib is broken?" Paula asked, sounding horrified anew. Crap, she hadn't meant to let that slip out.

"Cracked." Artemis corrected. "Not broken, Mom, it'll be healed in three weeks."

"So Artemis will be taking those three weeks off. School starts soon anyways." Oliver said before Paula could start again. Artemis's mouth dropped open slightly and she let out a loud, strangled noise.

"I will be doing no such thing!" she gasped. Oliver shot her a "do not argue with me I am taking a bullet for you" look and continued.

"Despite what she may think, Artemis isn't invincible." Oliver turned to her. "Leia, you are 100% human, which means that you have to take it easy when you get hurt. You can train, but I want you to stay away from missions until that rib has healed up." Artemis was speechless. Stay away from missions? Was he _out_ of his freaking _mind_? Paula, on the other hand, finally looked appeased and was nodding vigorously.

"I agree. A rest is a good idea. This will be good for you, _con gái_, you know that it will."

"How in hell will sitting on my butt be good for me?" Artemis demanded. "I'll go crazy if I just sit around for the rest of the summer!"

"You won't be sitting, you'll be resting. There's a difference." Oliver said sagely. "And as soon as that rib is healed you can jump back into the fray, okay?" Artemis was furious but she knew that between her mother and her mentor, there was no way she was going to get anything better than bedrest for the next twenty-eight days. How, she wondered, had the coversation gone so quickly from Oliver trying not to be flayed alive by her mother to him prescribing Artemis three weeks of house-arrest?

"This bites!" Artemis shouted. But she couldn't do anything else about it.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Artemis arose to the keening sound of the phone ringing.<p>

"Ugh," she moaned, covering her head with her pillow and trying to go back to sleep. Quickly after the agreement between Oliver and Paula had been made the night before, Artemis started giving both of them the silent treatment and stalked to her bedroom to be alone – and sleep. Well, she didn't _stalk_ as much as limp, hobble and use the wall to keep herself up, but the attitude was still there. Besides, it's the thought that counts.

_Ring! Ring! _The telephone persisted and finally, Artemis cast her pillow aside and slowly, achingly rose out of bed.

"Hello?" she answered groggily.

"Crock!" a chipper voice assaulted her eardrums. "Why do you sound like you just woke up?"

"Because I did, Grayson!" Artemis slurred, recognizing the voice instantly and trying not to smile. "We're not all gymnastics freaks like you. The rest of the world knows that 'summer' is synonymous with 'sleep until noon,' but I think you missed the memo."

Over the static on the line, Grayson laughed. "I miss you," he said fondly. "No one else makes me laugh as hard."

"Then your friends must have crappy senses of humors." Artemis said, laughing along with him. "What's up?"

"Well," he started, suddenly sounding uncomfortable. Artemis felt her spirits drop. Something was definitely up. "See, um, Gotham Academy gives out five scholarships every year and...you got one."

"I didn't apply for any scholarship." Artemis said flatly. What the _hell_? Were they giving her a free ride to Gotham Academy just because her sister had been shot and killed there? What kind of sadistic idiots were on that school-board anyway!

"Yeah, but after...everything, the school looked into you. It's not a charity thing, I swear!" he said quickly, somehow knowing that Artemis had been _this_ close to protesting loudly. "If you weren't smart enough, you wouldn't have won, but you did win. This is a huge deal."

"Give it to someone else. I don't want it." Artemis said sharply, then hung up. Damn Gotham Academy. Who did they think they were, saints? Giving her a scholarship because Athena had been killed there and they wanted to seem like a kind institution for the rest of the world by letting her thug sister in. The school looked into her. What utter crap! No one even knew that Athena had a sister – Artemis had made sure of that when Athena had gone to the Academy in the first place...

"But why?" Athena had asked, eyes wide and confused the day when Artemis had told her not to mention that she had a sister.

"Because," she'd answered. "People who'll be going to Gotham Academy know who I am down here, in the Narrows – in Suicide Slum – and that's not a good thing. I have a reputation."

"What's so bad about having a reputation?" Athena asked, defiantly this time. "I don't care what they think of me. You're my sister and I'm proud of who you are, not who people say you are."

Artemis had laughed sadly. "And one day, you're going to realize that people aren't like you, Athena. As a rule, people, in general, suck. They're judgmental and cruel and – don't give me that look, you know it's true, even if you're better than them. But people – especially people who have more than us – will judge you because we don't have a lot of money, I don't want them judging you because of me."

"But – "

"No buts. If anyone asks, you're an only child. Whatever your story is, I don't exist, alright?" Artemis had grinned then. "Now go knock 'em dead."

The pain of reliving that memory was so sharp that Artemis believed – just for a second – that all of her other ribs were breaking. Her chest seized up and it grew harder and harder to breathe. Calm down, she ordered herself. Breathe. That was a good day, remember? It was almost ten minutes until Artemis could breathe properly again, and by that time, she realized that her mother was out of the house – probably at physical therapy or something and felt a stab of remorse. Maybe it was good that she was going to be around more, that way she could help out her mom. She shouldn't have had to do everything on her own.

* * *

><p>Artemis was eating cereal – a surprisingly painful process with a cracked rib, she found – when there was a knock on the door.<p>

"Hello?" Artemis said, opening the door slowly.

"Ah, Miss Artemis, how lovely to see you again."

"Al?" Artemis asked, nonplussed. She hadn't seen the old butler in a month, what was he doing standing in the hallway of her building? More importantly, how did he know where she lived? "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was hoping a greeting more along the lines of a 'nice to see you,' but I suppose that will have to do for now. And I am here because Master Dick told me about your argument and I was worried."

"You came all the way down here because Grayson is upset that I hung up on him?" Artemis asked, still incredulous.

"Not at all. I came down here because I was concerned about _you_. I am more worried about why you hung up on him than the fact that you did. Master Dick does have that effect on people sometimes, but you didn't hear it from me." Alfred said craftily, then he winked at her. Artemis couldn't help it, she laughed. She'd missed him. "So why were you so upset about receiving the Gotham Academy scholarship?" Alfred prompted. "It is an honor and a privilege. I would've thought that you'd be happy for the opportunity."

"Well they can give their goddam opportunity to someone who wants it." Artemis said, her smile dying on her lips. Why did everyone have to bring up that stupid scholarship? It just pissed her off and, seriously, all of the mood swings this morning were giving her whiplash.

"And why aren't you one of those people?" Alfred asked. Artemis cursed his persistence.

"Because!" she shouted, wincing as her rib twinged and pain lanced through her head. "Because Athena was the smart one, not me, she was the good one, not me and she died there! _Died_! And every time I go near that place I freeze up and stop breathing! Does no one realize that going to that freaking school would remind me every day of my sister?" Alfred looked thoughtful.

"Do you realize that going in her place would be fulfilling your sister's legacy?" Artemis had no answer to that. Dammit!

"Al?" A new voice came from the hall. "What's taking so long?" Artemis's scowl deepened as she say Grayson's head poke out from behind Alfred.

"Is Bruce with you?" Artemis snapped. "How do you people know where I live, anyway?"

"We have our ways," Grayson said mysteriously, grinning. "Now come on! I thought Al was coming up to get you not to talk."

"And I thought I told you to stay in the car, Master Dick." Alfred said, fixing him with a scarily parental glare. Grayson shrank back, mumbling.

"I just wanted to see how it was going. I told you she wouldn't want to come."

"Come where?" Artemis asked. The suspense was killing her.

"Back to the Manor!" Grayson said, in a voice that implied that she was a few crayons short of a whole pack. "Duh!"

"You're right." Artemis said. "I don't want to come. I don't want to talk about the scholarship and I kind of just want to be left alone. Besides, I'm not allowed to do anything even remotely fun." She lifted the bottom of her tank top, revealing the gauze heavily wrapped around her middle. "My mom'll have a conniption if I leave."

"That just makes it so much more fun!" Grayson said, grinning happily. "Come on, if you can't do anything physical, I'll show you around the Manor – there's more to do than gymnastics, you know. Come on," he said when Artemis didn't answer. "I'll let you draw a mustache on a portrait of Bruce...and Alfred will make cookies."

"I make...how do you say, ah yes, 'kick-ass cookies,' if I do say so myself." Alfred added, looking pleased that he could remember the slang.

"Oh, alright!" Artemis finally relented. "But if my mom finds out, I'm telling her to call you!"

* * *

><p>"Unfair!" Artemis screamed, running until she felt like her lungs would burst. "You can't do that!"<p>

"Yes I can!" Grayson's sing-songy voice trailed after her. She needed to get more ammunition!

Covered in paint and breathing heavily, Artemis rushed into the enormous, at-least-fifteen-car-garage and scooped up as many colors as she could, then pried their lids open. Now fully armed and ready, she pressed herself against the wall of the garage, completely invisible from the outside.

What had began as simple destruction of private property – paintings of Bruce Wayne, to be exact – had turned into an all-out paint war. How, Artemis wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was that she was cheerfully drawing a mustache on the Prince of Gotham's famous face, and the next thing she knew, there was pain dripping down her hair and into her eyes. Grayson claimed that Artemis had started it, that he hadn't dumped paint on her head, it had just fallen innocently from an overhanging shelf, but by then, Artemis had picked up her brush and decorated _his_ face with a mustache – one that would've made R.I Burnside throw a fit of rage at seeing its magnificence. One thing led to another and then they were running amok on the grounds, throwing paint, dodging flying colors, neither one able to fully drench the other. Well, Artemis thought gleefully. That was about to change.

"Where are you?" Grayson called, thinking that he had her cornered.

"Not in the garage, if that's what you're thinking!" Artemis answered, preparing her paint cans for launch. She heard his eager footsteps...closer, closer...yes!

"Holy _crap_!" Grayson shouted, met with three cans of brightly colored paint dumped ceremoniously on his head. Artemis laughed, then started doing an ecstatic happy dance to a chant that went: "I win, I win, I win, I win!"

"You do not!" Grayson yelled, wiping paint out of his eyes, unwilling to accept defeat. "I will not be beaten!"

"Oh, Master Dick, I think she does have you beat." Alfred said, stepping into the garage.

"Ha!" Artemis exalted, then resumed her dance, this time singing even louder. "Take that!"

"The only thing you two will be taking is showers. And I'd hop to it, if I were you, your cookies are getting cold."

After an amazing shower – who knew that you could have a shower head with six different kinds of sprays? – and getting dressed in clothes that Alfred had neatly laid out for her, Artemis met Grayson in the kitchen, twisting her still-wet blonde hair up into a knot at the top of her head. It was enormous! Huge and beautiful, with gleaming marble counter-tops and shining mahogany cabinets; and from the way Alfred strutted about, doing this and that, it was clear that this was his domain.

"Took you long enough." Grayson said upon her arrival.

"I practically had to stave him off of the cookies with a sword, Miss Artemis. I'd eat them quickly." Alfred added. Artemis thanked him and helped herself to one. Al had been right: they were _so_ kick-ass.

"What took you so long?" Grayson asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, little prince, I don't have short dark hair. In case you haven't noticed, my hair is long. And blonde. So sue me if bright purple paint takes four washes to come out!" Artemis said, laughing. "I think there's still some pink in there somewhere." She shuddered. "I hate pink."

"Why would you?" Grayson asked, looking deceptively innocent. "Pink suits you: you know, because you're so girly."

"Really?" Artemis shot back. "That's all you've got? I'm _girly_? And here I was, thinking that you were my sarcastic equal. I've never been so disappointed." Grayson pouted and chucked a cookie at her head.

"None of that in here!" Al reprimanded. "Throwing paint is one thing, but I won't have you two disrespecting my cooking!" Artemis bowed her head, trying her best to look scolded and remorseful, but she had to bite her tongue in order to fight back a laugh. Even so, she still flicked Grayson under the table.

"I saw that." Alfred said. Artemis snorted, choking on the piece of cookie she was attempting to swallow.

"Saw what?" she asked sweetly. Alfred didn't look convinced. Then again, Artemis had never been able to really pull off "sweet."

"Oh, and Miss Artemis, your mother called." Artemis whirled toward the butler, her eyes wide. Oh crap... "She said that you are free to stay as long as you want to. Just be safe. Oh, and she said something else too...can gay? Does that mean anything to you?"

"_Con gái_." Artemis said, smiling. "It means _daughter_." Then she looked towards Grayson, grinning evilly. "So I'm stuck here."

"Wow, I love your company too," he said flippantly, looking slightly offended.

"Ready for round two?" Artemis asked, eager. Who cared that she just cleaned up? Grayson was a guy, anyways, she knew that he wouldn't mind.

_"You're on!"_

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><p><strong>This chapter was kind of filler-y, but fun and it really sets the stage for later chapters...hope it was worth it!<strong>

**~Fae**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **When I own Young Justice, I won't HAVE to write fanfiction!

**Author's Note: **92 reveiws, guys! That's fantastic! I am so super-pumped about all the feedback that I've been getting! Keep it up! Tell your friends to read this, tell your enemies, I don't care, just get the word out!

**Author's Note Numero Dos: **Super-special thanks to _**shesXsuperXfreaky, asdfghjkl321, artieelover , shadow rose2717 , BT4Ever , GrayAreas , Coconuat, Kelsey, and Allie**_! You guys rock my socks! And thanks to everyone who added me to their favorites!

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><p>"Artemis, why is your hair pink?" Paula asked curiously when her daughter came home, her normally blond hair shot through with magenta.<p>

"Long story, but I kinda like it." Artemis said, flipping a streaked lock over her shoulder, smiling.

"So you were with the Waynes all day?"

"No," Artemis corrected quickly. "I was with Grayson. Bruce Wayne wasn't there." Artemis said, trying to hide her disdain. The guy was paying her mother's medical bills, after all. "Have you eaten?"

"I'm fine, _con gái_, but I thought it would be good for you to relax. Why don't you watch some T.V.?" Artemis was slightly suspicious – it was unlike her mom to _prompt_ mindless television – but she was also tired and sore from running around all day, especially with her rib. _That_ had been painful. The two thoughts raced around in her head before Artemis finally decided to grab her archery bag and then plopped down in front of the television, bow and arrows – regular and trick – spread out in front of her.

Slowly, methodically, Artemis began working through each one of her arrows, checking to make sure that they were in pristine condition. The regular arrows were easy, all she had to do was sharpen them against her whetstone, but for the tricks, she had to be more careful. It would _really_ suck if one of the exploding arrows went off in her apartment, and Artemis was sure that the neighbors wouldn't appreciate a smoking hole in the apartment next to them. That was the kind of thing that could seriously reduce your real estate's value.

Taking out a pair of tweezers, Artemis carefully made sure that all of the wires were intact, then gently put it away (they were rigged to explode on impact, after all). Artemis was working on her third exploding arrow when her mother wheeled into the living room.

"This came in the mail for you," she said, brandishing an already opened envelope. Artemis's heart sunk. She had a sneaking suspicion as to what, exactly, was in that letter.

"And you opened it?" Artemis asked, sharper than she meant to, taking the envelope out of her mother's hands.

"Just read it!" Paula urged, smiling. Artemis scanned the letter, her suspicions realized. It was official. She had been awarded a scholarship to Gotham Academy.

"I've been awarded a full Wayne Foundation scholarship to the Gotham Academy. But I didn't apply." Artemis said tiredly, only halfheartedly trying to sound like she didn't already know about – and had a fight with Grayson about – the scholarship.

"It's not that kind of scholarship, You either qualify or you don't. Gotham Academy is very prestigious. You should be thrilled!"

"Yeah, I'm not switching schools." Artemis said, shrugging it off, crumpling the paper up and tossing it over her shoulder. "All my friends are at Gotham North." It was a weak, completely lame excuse, but Artemis didn't want to put her psychological issues on her already-burdened mom. Artemis tried hard to feign nonchalance and continued to inspect her arrows, turning her back on her mom and bringing the arrow she'd been working on up to her eye

"You're going," her mother said, snatching the arrow out of her hand. "Or you give up your extracurriculars." She thrust the hastily-smoothed out paper at Artemis.

"Mom," Artemis said firmly, standing up and ignoring the outstretched paper. "Don't make threats you can't enforce."

"Artemis!" Paula cried, grabbing her daughter's arm. "This is a chance to better your life!" She slammed her fist down on her wheelchair. "A chance I never had." Artemis turned, horrified to see the tears in her mother's eyes.

"Alright, Mom," Artemis said after a long, awful pause. "I'll go. I'll go for you." She reached forward and hugged her mother. Athena, she thought, dear God, Athena, I'm going to need you to help me through this.

"There is a party at Wayne Manor tomorrow night for the winners of the scholarship," Paula said when they finally broke apart. "You will get to meet all of the other winners. Doesn't that sound like fun?" No, running out of the apartment and finding some bad guy's ass to kick, that sounded like fun. Going to some benefit dinner sounded like a nightmare, but Artemis couldn't tell her mother that. Not when she looked so happy and hopeful, not when she hadn't looked that way in a long time. "Will you go?" Ah, the final nail on the coffin.

"Yeah, Mom, I'll go." Artemis said, repeating the words she'd said sincerely just a minute before, trying to keep the bitter disappointment out of her voice.

"Oh...and one more thing." Paula said, looking awkward. Artemis cringed. What else could there be? "It is a fancy party, you need a dress...and a male escort." The dress Artemis had no problem with – at least, she knew where she could get one. That didn't mean she was keen do go doll herself up like a Barbie. Again. But a _male escort_? What? Who was that supposed to be, her father? Oh, right, like that would be a fun conversation: "Hey, daddy, I'm going to a party full of innocent and very maimable people, want to come with me? Right. She'd ask for that bastard's help when hell froze over.

"Um, I'll figure it out. Don't you want to come?" Maybe the whole thing would be easier if her mother was there...? Maybe?

"I cannot, Artemis, I have physical therapy tomorrow night. I am starting double sessions." Damn, so there went that possibility. Suddenly, Artemis was struck with inspiration, and the very next second, wished that she hadn't been. She was never going to live this one down...

* * *

><p>"Hey, kiddo, what's up?" Oliver asked, opening the front door with a smile. Artemis wasn't smiling. In fact, she seemed grimmer than he'd ever seen her before. "Artemis?" Oliver said, immediately worried. "What's wrong, what's going on?"<p>

"I – " Artemis was almost gagging on her words. Oliver's heart sped up. What was wrong with her? "I need to ask you something. And it's..." she trailed off, mumbling.

"It's what?" Oliver prompted.

"It's...off duty."

"Okay," Oliver said slowly, processing. He and Artemis had come a long way since he'd helped Batman bring her against her will to the Hall of Justice, but they're relationship had pretty much stayed business – well, except when she came over after missions to unwind. What, Oliver wondered, could be so devastating? Artemis looked like she was about to vomit. "Come on in. Do you want anything to drink?" Artemis shook her head, but collapsed on the couch.

"So, what do you need?" Oliver asked, sitting down on a chair opposite his protege. The sick look on Artemis's face worsened.

"I, um..." she started mumbling again.

"What?"

"I need you to come to a party with me." Artemis whispered. Oliver was nonplussed. That was it? That was what was causing her so much anxiety? She wanted him to go to a party? Oliver shook his head slightly at her twisted priorities. Facing down her father? No problem, she comes out swinging, but asking for help? Heaven forbid!

"That's it?" Oliver asked, just to be on the safe side.

"That's it? Have you _met_ me?" Artemis demanded, all of a sudden sounding like her usual self. "I hate parties, and as we found out last night, I have a tragic tendency to get into fights in God-awful conditions...while wearing a dress! Not only that, but it's a freaking benefit for scholarship winners – right, because Gotham Academy is so noble for giving an education to us 'under-privileged' kids. Don't make me laugh! – _and_ I need a male escort. Preferably my father, but considering the fact that he almost killed me the last time we had a little get-together, I'd say he wasn't an option, wouldn't you?" Oliver didn't answer. "Yeah, I thought so."

"So, you want me...to escort you...to a benefit dinner?" Oliver asked softly.

"Well," Artemis answered, reserved and quiet once more. "You were the only one I could think of. And I need a dress. Again. Sorry."

"You thought of me?" Oliver asked.

"Well, yeah," she said.

"I would be honored." Oliver said. Artemis looked up at him hopefully. "Now," Oliver said, grinning, "let's find you a new dress, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"Grayson, if you laugh at me, I swear to God, I will pound you within an inch of your life." Artemis whispered venomously the next night before the kid could say anything. To say his eyes bugged out of his head when he saw her was an understatement. To this formal dinner, Artemis had thrown the rules out of the window, choosing an edgy, single-strap silvery-blue dress with a stream of darker blue tha slid from the strap to hem and shimmered in the lights overhead. That part was pretty standard, but what set it apart was its sheer, glittering fabric – and, of course, the rip on the left side that exposed her leg to mid-thigh and dangerously low scoop in the back.<p>

"Are you sure you want that one?" Oliver asked when she picked it out in the store. He'd been extremely patient with her, going to boutiques and lending Artemis his platinum credit card to purchase the dress.

"Now, now, there will be judging from the man who _wanted _to go shopping with me. And yes, this is the one I want. This will show these people that I don't play by their rules."

"The hell you don't." Oliver said, nodding. Then he bought the dress.

Though she felt exposed and awkward in her sparkly dress and towering heels, Artemis couldn't help but enjoy the stunned looks that she was getting when people took in the whole ensemble: paired with the dress was a dog collar necklace that was alternately studded with spikes and faux-sapphires, and to complete the look, she'd fashioned some bracelets out of silver bike chains.

"I would never laugh at you." Grayson said, his eyes still huge. "You look like you could kick my ass."

"And don't you forget it." Artemis said, laughing. "You don't look bad yourself." Though he was younger and considerably shorter than she was, Artemis had to hand it to the kid: he cleaned up good. She guessed that all that time following Bruce Wayne around fancy swarays had given Grayson an affinity for suits.

"Thanks." Grayson took the compliment in stride. "But no one here is looking at me. They're wondering who the badass chick in the prom dress is and how they can steal you away from me." Artemis smiled sweetly and did a little curtsey.

"Why thank you, kind sir, but if they want to know, all they have to do is ask."

"I'll take you up on that." A new voice broke in, and a boy sidled between Artemis and Grayson without so much as an "excuse me." The boy was tall, taller than Artemis, even in her heels, had sandy-colored hair, and from the way he was smirking at her, thought that he was God's gift to women. "And you are...?"

"Artemis," she answered blandly.

"Nice name. Well, _Artemis_," the boy said, rolling her name off his tongue, and then shooting her a look that clearly said that was her cue to swoon. When she didn't, the boy slung his arm over her shoulder and continued. "My name's Rodger Tate." Again, another meaningful look. Rodger Tate? Was the name supposed to mean something to her, because it didn't. "My dad's the mayor of Gotham." Rodger explained, but there was less confidence in his voice. "You do know who _he _is, right?" Of course, the mayor! The guy who was ignoring all of the crime in the city and letting a man dressed up as a giant bat deal with it, how could she not know who _he_ was! And his son obviously had his father's arrogance...and obliviousness. The boy didn't even notice Artemis tense up when he touched her, nor was he seeing the dirty expression she was wearing on her face.

"Of course you know." Rodger said, sounding more like he was reassuring himself than her. "There's no need to play hard to get, baby. I saw the way you were staring at me earlier." Um, was this boy delusional or just plain stupid? Artemis wondered, because she hadn't ever _heard_ of him before, let alone been communicating with her eyes that she wanted him to come over and hit on her.

"Oh, I'm not playing, babe," Artemis said, her voice sickly sweet and positively laced with venom. "I'm from the Narrows – oh, you've heard of us?" Artemis asked nicely, seeing his horrified look. "Then you'll know that I'm _deadly_ serious." Rodger looked like he was going to leave her alone for a second – and then that second passed and the irritating smirk returned.

"Right, because someone as hot as you could come out of the Narrows. You just love playing coy, don't you?" Artemis almost laughed at his audacity. Then, like before, ice surged through her veins as the boy's arm dropped and he picked up her hand then began massaging the back of it with his thumb. Artemis could feel the alarms ringing in her head, telling him to get the hell away from her, just like they had at the _last_ party she'd been at. Note to self: _no more parties!_

"Dude." Mercifully, Grayson stepped in before she could kill the mayor's son. Artemis figured that wouldn't be a welcome addition to her track record. "Unless you want to lose that hand, I would cut it out." Rodger looked at Bruce Wayne's adopted son and curled his lip. There was clearly some bad blood there.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Grayson, did you have dibs on this one?" That was it. Artemis snapped, only slightly, but enough to make her grab Rodger's hand and squeeze it until she could feel the bones straining under the pressure.

"No one," she said darkly, "has dibs on me. And unless you _leave me the hell alone_, you will lose this hand. That's how we play it in the Narrows, rich boy." The mayor's son made a small, pained noise that Artemis took as a "yes," and let go. Artemis had just enough time to shoot him a winning smile before another hand grabbed at er from behind. Artemis whirled, fully prepared to beat the living crap out of another pompous trust-fund baby, but relaxed when she saw that it was just Oliver.

"Making friends?" Oliver asked softly, a smile tugging at the ends of his lips, though he was obviously trying to look stern and fatherly.

"Artemis, make friends? Have you _met_ her?" Grayson asked, snickering.

"Oh, ha ha." Artemis shot back, smiling. "If I don't have friends, what does that make you? My irritating cousin? Oh," she said, finally remembering her manners. "Oliver, this is Dick Grayson, Grayson, Oliver."

"Nice to meet you." Grayson said graciously, shaking his hand. Before he could say anything else, the boy was pulled away by a gaggle of girls and swept to the dance floor.

"Please tell me that Bruce Wayne's son isn't your boyfriend." Oliver whispered in her ear.

"Are you kidding me?" Artemis laughed. "He's thirteen! Besides, we're just friends."

"Good." Oliver said. "I don't know how I'd feel about my protege being a gold-digger."

"You're unbelievable!" Artemis said, then smacked his arm. "Speaking of gold-diggers, please excuse me, I think I have to go rescue my _not-boyfriend_ now."

The rest of the evening was uneventful. There was dancing (mostly with Oliver and Grayson, but not from lack of trying by the other not-so-eligible bachelors), there was boring classical music that seriously needed some kind of bass-line, there was fancy food that Artemis would've traded for pizza in a heartbeat.

It wasn't until the very end that there was another incident.

"Well, well, look who it is. Thug Crock. Haven't we grown up?" Artemis knew that voice. It definitely was familiar from somewhere, but she couldn't place it until she turned around and looked at the girl who'd addressed her.

It was Redhead. It was the girl who'd tormented Athena while they were at Gotham Grammar Secondary School. Oh, _fantastic_!

"Hiya," Artemis said dully. Despite her affinity for getting into fights, she really didn't want to rehash her sister's misery in front of all these people. Especially when she couldn't get violent. That would be very, very bad.

"Where's your sister? Or is she still afraid of her own shadow?" Redhead taunted, trying to goad some kind of response out of her.

"Oh," Artemis said, measuring her words very carefully. "I wouldn't say she's scared of her own shadow anymore. Would you, Grayson? Because I distinctly remember Athena standing between you and an armed gunman without backing down. Am I getting the details right?" Grayson went white, but nodded.

"No, I think that's accurate." He sounded sick. Artemis felt bad for dragging him into this, but she had to stand up for her sister. Especially to this girl, who'd made her life a living hell when they were young.

"Right." Redhead snorted. "Like I'll believe that. If she's such a hero, why haven't I heard of her, she hasn't been in the paper or on the news."

"Well, of course _you_ haven't read about it," Artemis said, an icy calm overtaking her. "I always doubted your ability to read. Besides, a rich little girl like you wouldn't want to bother herself reading obituaries, would you? That's right, because Athena was shot and killed by that gunman. You might've even been at the funeral, it was at Wayne Manor, about a month and a half ago? But you wouldn't know that, would you, because you and everyone else who showed up didn't really care – or perhaps you didn't even know – that it _was_ a funeral. You thought it was just a fun idea for a party." By the shocked look on Redhead's face, Artemis knew that she was right.

"I – I – " she stammered.

"You – you didn't know, you didn't care, so I'll tell you something that you _can_ do. Never talk to me about my sister again. Okay?" Artemis finished on a falsely cheery note, feeling like she was going to explode. She was thankful when Oliver broke through the crowd that had amassed and pulled her away, out of the building and into the car that he'd rented for the night.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked softly.

"Peachy." They rode in silence for a little while, before Oliver started laughing.

"What is so funny?" Artemis demanded.

"You _really_ suck at having a social life." Oliver chuckled, gasping on his words, he was laughing so hard.

"Shut up." Artemis said moodily.

"So, party-girl, when's the next big event?"

"You suck!" Artemis shouted, now laughing herself. "Next time," she said when both of them could breathe again, "that I get invited to a party, please just put me out of my misery. It'll be a mercy killing."

Oliver kept on laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so we kind-of see what life might be like for Artemis at Gotham Academy...assholes hitting on her, Artemis kicking the crap out of mean girls, you get teh gist! More to come soon! Review and tell me what you think!<strong>

**~Fae**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YJ...but some of the newbies in this chapter are MINE! MINEMINEMINEMINE! MWAHAHAHHAAHA!

**Author's Note: **Special thanks to _**GrayAreas, shadow rose2717 , BT4Ever , Coconuat, and Y.J-lover **_for reviewing! You guys are AMAZING! And thanks to everyone who added me to their favorites/watch lists!

**Author's Note #2: _Kelsey, _**I bet you thought I forgot about you, huh? Nope! But I'd like to dedicate this chapter to you, because I know how you feel. I write fanfiction because I feel like YJ (and all of my other cartoon obsessions) are my secrets and I can't share them with anyone. That's why I love this site, because I found out that there are tons of people just like me who like the same nerdy, fun, amazing cartoons and some of which are too shy to talk about it. So hats off to you, _**Kelsey**_, you are definetely not alone!

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><p><em>"<em><em>Recognize, Artemis: B08.<em>_" ___The computer announced. Artemis stumbled into Mount Justice, her book-bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey, Artemis!" Wally called from the living room. "Why are you here?"

"Thanks, West, now I truly feel loved." Artemis smirked, walking over to the speedster and smacking the back of his head.

"Ow!" Wally complained. "I thought you said no hero work!"

"This isn't hero work," Artemis said, dropping down beside him. "And it's already been three weeks, my rib is _fine_ and I still can't do anything fun! But that's not the issue here. The issue is that my mom is driving me crazy! If she asks me again if I got all of my school supplies, my head is going to explode."

"Ah, new-school-itis," Wally said, nodding wisely. "I know it well."

"Oh, shut up, Baywatch." Artemis snapped tiredly. "Where's everyone else?"

"Um," Wally said, pulling a thoughtful face. "See, I would tell you, but you're very mean to me, so I think I'm just going to let you squirm for a little while." The red-headed boy cackled and jumped up before Artemis could hit him again.

It was the day before school restarted for the year, the day before Artemis went to Gotham Academy and for the past two weeks leading up to this day, her mother had been unbearable. She was constantly reminding Artemis to buy this or that, or to make sure not to cause any fights in school – maybe make some new friends as well. Finally, Artemis had faked an emergency, telling her mom that she was needed at HQ as soon as possible, just as an excuse to get out of the house. And an excuse to get some practice in with her bow. That too.

"Yo, West?" Artemis called, walking towards the gym and readying her gear. "Want to make yourself useful and let me use you as a practice dummy?"

"Oh, well now, look who's cocky." Wally said, catching up to her easily.

"I learned from the best – well, and you." Wally scowled.

"Ri-ight, because you could totally hit me."

"How much you wanna bet?"

* * *

><p>"God dammit!" Wally cried, rubbing his shoulder and stopping so suddenly that he tripped over his own feet and fell in his back. "Ow! I can't believe that you actually hit me!" Artemis smiled beatifically and bowed to an invisible audience.<p>

"I'd like to thank the Academy!" she said in a high-pitched voice, holding one of her arrows like a microphone. Wally scowled up at her. "Come on, now pay up." Artemis said, holding out a hand expectantly. "The bet was... fifty dollars, I believe?"

"Yeah, right," Wally muttered to himself, grabbing Artemis's hand and forcing her down onto the floor with him. Within seconds he had her pinned on one of the mats that covered the gym's floor. Wouldn't want anyone to take a tumble and break anything, now would we? Artemis's breath exploded out of her lungs in a huff when Wally slammed her down, leaving the archer breathless. Thank God her rib was healed or Artemis's mom would pull a Lawrence all over the speedster's ass! "Okay, now I'm not going to let you up until you tell me how you managed to hit me. Get it?"

"Right." Like he could keep her down for long. Artemis let her muscles relax, as if she was giving up, then raced into action, striking out with her foot – right into Wally's stomach. Immediately, he let go and Artemis pounced. Now _he_ was the one who was pinned. Ha ha!

"Do not." Artemis said dangerously. "Give me orders. I barely take them from Batman, there's no way in hell I'm going to listen to you. Got it?" Wally ground his teeth, but nodded. Artemis changed her position so that she was sitting on his stomach, allowing him some movement, but if he tried anything she could have him pinned down again in a second. "As for how I hit you? You're predictable. You come at me from the side. Front. Side. Back. Repeat. Once I figured that out, it was easy."

"I'm predictable?" Wally repeated, sounding incredulous.

"In a word?" Artemis said, smiling. "Yes." She really shouldn't have said that, really, really shouldn't have said that, because out of nowhere, Wally jerked upward, sending Artemis sprawling back, then rushed her at super-speed. Artemis didn't have enough time to move, let alone ready her arrows. The boy scooped her up in a fireman's carry and started racing around the gymnasium, occasionally slamming into equipment like it was some kind of giant pinball machine.

"Slow down, you maniac!" Artemis screamed breathlessly, pounding on his chest, but Wally only grinned and ran faster. Finally, he ran himself out and skidded to a halt, sending both of them into a heap on the floor.

"Not...so predictable now...am I?" Wally said, breathing heavily.

"You are _insane_!" Artemis said, not bothering to try and get up. She was dizzy and wasn't entirely sure that he legs would carry her. Besides, her head had somehow landed on Wally's chest and it was weirdly comfortable.

"Oh come on, that was fun and you know it."

"You're an ass."

"Yes, but I'm an _unpredictable _ass. Say it!" he ordered. "Say it or I'll run with you again!" Artemis knew that he was too tired to try that again, but she decided that he'd won this one.

"Fine. You, Wally West, are an insane, maniacal, _unpredictable _ass. Happy now?"

"Now and forever."

"I still think your name is stupid, though."

"Right back at you, goddess." Wally said, still huffing and puffing. Artemis smiled. Both of them were quiet for what felt like a long time, just listening to their breathing and trying to get their breath back – although Artemis figured it was a _tad_ easier for her, considering that she hadn't been the one running around.

"Who's here?" Artemis asked suddenly. She could hear footsteps.

"I don't hear anything." Wally said, yawning hugely.

"Because that makes me rethink my statement." Artemis grumbled to herself.

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss." Artemis was torn. One, really _sourpuss_? That was the best that he could do? And two, she really did hear someone coming down the hall.

She was right.

"Am I interrupting something?" She knew that drawling voice.

"If it was anyone else, no. But since it's you, Red, yup, you're interrupting. Now go away."

"I need to talk to you." Artemis looked up at the red haired archer, her eyes cool and unforgiving. She hadn't forgotten the way that he'd treated her and Oliver the last time they'd seen each-other. Or the crazy-scary look he'd given her. If Artemis had had nightmares about anything but her father, she thought that Red might have a good chance of starring in one. The boy was freaking _intense_!

"And now, I need to leave." Artemis said, pulling herself upright and striding out of the door. Wally sat up, looking confused, but Artemis didn't have enough patience to explain at the moment.

"Artemis!" Red called after her, sounding exasperated and angry. "Don't walk away from me," he snarled, when he caught up to her at the Zeta transporter, grabbing her arm.

"Don't touch me." Artemis said calmly. "Or you will lose that hand."

"Don't walk away from me. This – "

Artemis cut him off. "Like you walked away from Oliver? Oh, don't look so betrayed, he didn't tell me anything. But he didn't need to. I can see. Just because I kick can ass and take names doesn't mean that I can't tell when someone is hurt."

"But – "

"No!" Artemis said, stopping him again. "You don't get to defend yourself because you really did a number on him. And guess what: you think that you're all alone in the world, but your wrong. Oliver cares about you and you all but spat in his face. So no, whatever you have to tell me, I'm not going to listen. Because Oliver means something to me, even if you can turn your back on him. Take your important information and go to hell." Artemis spared him one more filthy look before commanding. "Gotham City," and beaming home.

* * *

><p>"Do you have your books? And your binders?" Paula asked worriedly, just as Artemis was walking out of the door. Today was the day. Time to go to her fancy-shmancy to school. "Do you have..." Paula lowered her voice to a whisper, "your bow?"<p>

"Yes, yes and yes, Mom. I've got everything. You really don't have to worry. I promise, no fights." The physical kind, at least.

"And please be discrete." Artemis knew what she meant. Taking the bus was dangerous, as there were really no bus stations in the Narrows, and she would have to walk to get to one. And if walking in her neighborhood didn't scream "please mug me!" Artemis didn't know what did. So, Artemis had decided to drive to school. In her car. Ergo, discretion was advised.

"I know, I know, I'm not going to do anything stupid. Besides, if anyone asks me about it, I can always say that I'm older than I am." Her mother pursed her lips and Artemis knew that she didn't like the idea of her daughter driving to school, let alone lying about it, but there was really no other option. Before she could ask _again_ if Artemis had everything that she needed, Artemis gave her mom a swift kiss on the cheek and dashed out of the door.

"Yo, Grease Monkey!" Artemis called into the borderline-decrepit garage that was just up the street from her apartment. "I'm taking my baby!"

"Hey, you have a good time at school, girl, you hear?" Grease Monkey, a broad man with a thick Latin accent, replied.

"Will do! I'll drop 'er off later!" For security reasons, Artemis had to keep her car – a 1955 Thunderbird convertible – in the garage. Grease Monkey and her had made a deal a couple of years back – she would work on junked cars in her spare time, and in return, she got to keep the Thunderbird and a couple of crucial lessons on grand theft auto. Plus, as far as people went, Grease Monkey was pretty trustworthy...or at least Artemis had enough street cred to keep him from selling off her car. She'd fixed it up, after all.

Artemis hopped into the front seat and put the key in the ignition, listening with pride as the engine purred. She missed me, Artemis thought fondly, stomping on the gas and burning tire marks onto the asphalt.

"Nice car." Grayson said, whistling appreciatively when Artemis parked in the Academy's student lot.

"You can look," Artemis said, jumping over the door and leaning on the hood, "but you just can't touch."

"Where did you _get _this?" Another boy with tawny hair and blue eyes that Artemis didn't know asked, completely floored by the Thunderbird. "I don't know a single dealership around here that sells these anymore."

"Well, that would be it. I didn't buy it, I fixed it up."

"Right," the boy scoffed. "_You _fixed a 1955 T-Bird?" Artemis cocked a blonde eyebrow and she could see Grayson flinch. The boy didn't back down, however, and looked as cocky as ever.

"Do you think a kid on a scholarship could _buy _one of these?" Artemis asked, not bothering to get angry. He wasn't worth it. "Like you said, no dealership in Gotham sells these babies anymore. And if you still aren't convinced, ask me anything. Anything about this car, and I bet you I could answer it."

"Okay," the boy said, looking eager. "Wheelbase frame?"

"102 inches." Artemis answered immediately. "And before you ask, because I know you will, the speedometer goes up to 150 mph, unlike most 1950s Ford's, which have a lower performance speed." The boy laughed, shaking his head.

"Derek King," he said, sticking out a hand. "You don't seem too bad for a scholarship kid."

"And you don't seem bad for a rich punk, yourself." Artemis waited to see if he would be insulted, but Derek grinned.

"Come on, I'll show you around..."

"Artemis."

"Cool name. I'll show you around, Artemis." He started walking off.

"Look at us, making friends on the first day." Grayson smirked when Artemis strayed behind to lock up her car. There was no way she was going to let be stolen in a rich neighborhood. Not a chance.

"Oh, shut up, Grayson. Don't you know that I have a sparkling personality?"

Grayson's smirk grew more pronounced. "Knives sparkle too." Artemis couldn't argue with that.

"Hey, Artemis, come on!" Derek called. Hm, Artemis thought, maybe going to this school won't be so bad after all.

"Okay, guys this is Artemis." Somehow, Artemis and Derek were in first period Biology together and he was busy introducing her to all his friends before class started. "Artemis, this is Jenna, Mark, Toby and Grace. You'll meet everyone else at lunch." At first, no one really said anything, but then the girl names Grace jumped up and shook Artemis's hand vigorously.

"Hi, Artemis, it's so nice to meet you!" Huh, that's not the reaction she had been expecting. Was it just when she had been little that rich kids hated scholarship students or had everyone outgrown that stereotype?

"Um, thanks, nice to meet you too." Artemis said, somewhat warily. Was there a catch in there somewhere that she was missing?

"Guys," Derek said, "Artie, here, has a 1955 T-Bird." That got everyone's attention, especially the guys, who had – until that point – been unsure about how to treat the new kid in their midst. Artemis was welcomed into the group with open arms and they all talked shop until the teacher – er, no at Gotham Academy they were called _professors –_ had entered the classroom and told them all to quiet down.

At lunch, Artemis was introduced to the rest of the crew: Jason, Matthew, Tina and Amy. Like the other four from bio, they took a little time to warm up to her, but by the end of the period, Artemis had them all won over. It was a little shocking, actually, but it seemed that speaking fluent sarcasm – paired with her awesome car – was the ticket to popularity here.

"Ugh, here she comes." Tina said, groaning into her salad. Artemis turned her head, seeing Redhead striding purposefully towards their table, a nasty gleam in her eye.

"Oh good, you don't like her either?"

"Princess Hannah Tate? No one likes her." Jenna filled Artemis in. "Quick lesson: here, there are two kinds of popular. People who other kids actually _like_ and then there's the Tate Troupe, clones of Hannah and her pervy brother Rodger, who are just in it to get their fifteen minutes in the spotlight."

"Yeah, I know them. Not a huge fan."

"Well look out because the Queen Bee herself is coming your way." Jenna warned her.

"Awesome."

"Hey Scholarship." Redhead – Hannah – said. "Aw, look, you made friends."

"Look, I know that you're jealous because you've never had a real friend in your life, but try not to take it our on us more fortunate, alright?" In an instant, Hannah's face turned the same ugly shade of red as her hair and she sniffed, sticking her nose up in the air like she smelled something nasty. Probably that cloying perfume she was wearing.

"Hmph!" She made a tiny disgusted noise and strode away, trying to look like she was still in control of the situation. Artemis turned back to her pizza and was met by awestruck stares by all of the other kids.

"What?" she asked, only a tiny bit defensively. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"You – and she – " Jenna gasped.

"Did you...?" Grace trailed off, looking positively thunderstruck.

"Dude!" Derek broke through the babbling. "That was awesome!" Artemis shrugged.

"Seriously," Mark said, speaking up for the first time. "No one has ever done that before."

"Well I guess it takes a scholarship kid to start a revolution." Artemis said smiling. The group actually started applauding. Weird!

The rest of the day was quiet, but apparently the story of Artemis taking on Hannah Tate had spread throughout the school like wildfire. Within hours, it was already a Gotham Academy legend and the tale had evolved from Hannah walking away, trying to remain cool to her fleeing the cafeteria, sobbing. Artemis had to admit that she didn't mind the embellished version of events.

It wasn't until the very end of last period that things started to go haywire. First of all, Artemis was called down to the front office.

"Ooh," Jenna whispered jokingly. "You're in trouble!"

"Thanks for the moral support." Artemis whispered back before gathering up all of her books and walking out of the classroom.

"Um, I was called down?" Artemis said, poking her head into the office.

"Ah yes," a very disheveled secretary said, pointing absently to a corner of the room. "You're being dismissed." Artemis turned to the corner and groaned.

"You are like a bad penny!" Artemis snapped to Red. "What the hell are you _doing _here?" And it was true. Not in superhero garb or a fancy suit, Red was completely normal looking in a fitted T-shirt and jeans – and the sight of him couldn't have been more unwelcome.

"People are looking for you," he said urgently, pulling her out of the office and into the empty hallway. "The Shadows, they're after you. You needed to know." So that was what this was all about.

"What and I suppose this little act of charity is for _my_ sake? Or are your trying to make it up to Oliver through me?" Red's eyes hardened and Artemis knew that she struck a nerve – and that she was right.

"You needed to know." Red repeated slowly, obviously trying to rein in his temper.

"Thanks for the warning but I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

"Like you did against your father?" Red shouted as Artemis turned away. She froze for a second, then exploded into movement shoving Red against the wall.

"Do not ever talk about that man to me." Artemis snarled. "He's not my father and _never_ will be."

"You can't fight your genes." Red said, pushing her away. "And if that man is your father, than you're just like him." Artemis was so ready to whip out her bow, but not there. Not in the hallway of her new school. Not when she told her mom she wouldn't fight anymore.

"Stay away from me." Artemis said finally. "Stay away from me, and stay away from Oliver." Red said nothing, but walked out of the school's front door just as the final bell rang. Artemis was too worked up to bother going to her locker. It was the first day of school, there wasn't any homework anyways. She just stalked out of one of the school's side doors, hoping that she would get out of the parking lot before anyone could try and talk to her. Artemis knew that she'd lash out at anyone and everyone at that point.

She was so engrossed in her own thoughts, that Artemis wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and a minute after exiting the school was completely blindsided.

"Hey, Artemis." Artemis was shoved up against the brick wall of the school, her arms forced behind her, nearly tearing them out of their sockets.

"Hi, Auntie," she managed, trying not to choke on brick. Artemis struggled, but Jade had her rendered completely immobile. "Long time no see."

"Oh," Jade said, laughing softly. "I think that we'll be seeing a lot more of each-other. I have someone who wants to meet you. Your daddy is at the top of that list." At this, Artemis fought even harder, no longer caring if she broke an arm in the process. Jade let her fight, allowing her the tiniest bit of movement before slamming her against the brick once more. "The Shadows are very interested in you, Artemis. For real this time." No, Artemis thought desperately. NO! Somehow she managed to twist her head and see Jade unsheathe one of her knives, no doubt laced with some kind of poison or sedative. Artemis felt the blade pierce her skin and an iciness overtake her mind, shutting everything down.

Damn, she thought – her last conscious thought – I hate it when Red's right.

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><p><strong>So I got a lot of reviews saying that they missed my action scenes...hope this was action-y enough for ya! Oh, and did anyone else love reading Artemis verbally abuse Red in Mount Justice as much as I loved writing it? Because, seriously, it was probably my favorite scene to write in this chapter!<strong>

**~Fae**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I don't own it =(

**Author's Note: **OVER 100 REVIEWS! OH MY GODDDDD! Who's got the best readers in the ENTIRE FREAKING UNIVERSE? Oh yeah, that would be me! XD Special thanks to _**shesXsuperXfreaky, Kelsey, GrayAreas, yjfanatic, artieelover , Eastmangirl, Coconuat , Y.J-lover , BT4Ever, shadow rose2717, Swifty, Magoo2u, Darkness Bandit **_and_** xstoriexluvrx.**_ I love you guys!

**Author's Note #2: **Kelsey, I'd get an account and then PM or review me and I'll answer your questions...but I definetly will!

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><p>"Wakey, wakey." A slow, easy voice wormed its way into Artemis's dreams. "Come on now, kiddo, get up." Artemis didn't want to. She didn't know where she was, but it was peaceful there. She wasn't worried about anything – and, more importantly, no one was trying to hurt her. Somehow, she knew that if she was brought out of the darkness, it would be bad, very, very bad. Artemis groaned as she was roughly shaken awake, then jerked upright.<p>

Lawrence's face was in front of her own, leering at her. Instinctively, Artemis reached over her shoulder for an arrow, but her quiver wasn't on her back where it should've been – and she didn't have her bow on her either. Artemis was suddenly overwhelmed by her own vulnerability. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been completely unarmed and it made her feel naked and exposed.

"Welcome back to the Land of the Living, Artie." Lawrence sneered. "Although, if you don't cooperate, you won't be here for long." Artemis didn't let the threat faze her, she was too busy taking stock of her surroundings. There was no way she was going to let herself be taken by surprise again. For all she could tell, the archer was in a dimly lit, completely empty room that reminded her of a dojo with its wood floor and rice-paper-looking walls. Besides her and Lawrence, no one else was there.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather check out now." Artemis said nastily, her throat raspy. How long had she been out?

"That can be arranged." Lawrence snarled, whipping out a wicked-looking blade with a serrated edge and pressing it against Artemis's throat, forcing her head back.

"Now, now, Sportsmaster, that is no way to treat our guest." A new voice entered the room, thick with some kind of Asian accent – Thai, or maybe Chinese. In a flash, the knife vanished. Artemis, realizing for the first time that she was on the floor, shot to her feet, only to have her arms brutally forced behind her back by Lawrence, rendering her all but immobile. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Whatever drug was on Jade's knife, it had done a real number on Artemis – the only thing keeping her upright was her father.

"I'm just trying to do my duty as a father," Lawrence said. Artemis could hear the grin in his voice. "And doesn't that include being a disciplinarian?"

"Yes, of course, but not when your sense of discipline could kill someone."

"That doesn't seem to have stopped him before." Artemis spat. She knew who the man was. Ra's al Ghul, the ringleader of the League of Shadows.

"Too true." Ra's said, shaking his head, almost seeming sorry. "But, he is the best at what he does, and so, Sportsmaster will always have a place with us." Artemis snarled wordlessly, now fighting Lawrence and the sickness that was threatening to suffocate her. This man's moral compass needed some serious work – hell, she didn't even know if he _had_ one!

"Yeah, he'll have a place...right next to you, in hell!" Ra's made an almost-parental _tsk_ing sound.

"It is unfortunate...I wanted our first meeting to be pleasant. But you seem determined to make it not so. Sportsmaster?" Lawrence had apparently been waiting for that cue. Artemis was stabbed from behind by something sharp and then a second later she began to scream and writhe in pain. Electricity was flowing through her body, and it felt like she was being burned alive. Every muscle was contracting, every nerve was on fire. It was agony.

And then, just as quickly as the pain had started, it stopped. Artemis sagged into her father's arms, still completely in shock. She couldn't move, she could barely breathe and she could feel her heart beating like a jack-rabbit on steroids in her chest.

"Are you going to be civil, now, Artemis?" Ra's asked, still sounding like a disappointed parent. Artemis's tongue wouldn't obey her, but she still managed to lift her hand up and flip him off. Who said you needed words to tell someone exactly what you thought about them? Ra's clucked again. "I am sorry to say that this will be very unpleasant for you."

* * *

><p>"Hey, guys, have you seen Artemis?" Robin asked, beaming into the cave. Though school had started for everyone on the team – exempting Miss M and Superboy – they still used it as their after school hangout. Wally looked up from the cartoons he was watching.<p>

"Nah, man. She was here yesterday. Hey, did you know that she has some serious issues with Red Arrow? Because he came here to see her yesterday and she flipped shit all over his ass." That sounded like Artemis, Robin thought drily.

"Wouldn't you have problems if the Flash suddenly showed up with an ex-sidekick that was pissed at you for _existing_?" Robin shot back. "Because that should give you a little insight into their relationship." Wally shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't worried about being replaced – or finding out that he was a replacement.

"Why are you concerned?" Megan asked from the kitchen (no doubt trying out yet another recipe she'd seen on T.V), looking concerned. It was no secret that Artemis had a serious lack of impulse control and absolutely no regard for her own safety, two very dangerous aspects of her personality that made the whole team – Megan especially – very nervous. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know." Robin said. "She never came home from school...her car is still in the lot."

"Why is that a big deal?" Superboy asked, joining the conversation for the first time. He'd been helping Megan cook. "Couldn't she just be staying late?"

"I don't think so, everyone else has gone home – there are no club meeting on the first day. And she's not picking up her comm."

"Why don't you ask Red Arrow?" Wally suggested. "He looked like he had something important to tell her yesterday, maybe he went looking for her again today."

"Good idea." Robin agreed, feeling slightly better. Roy might know where she was. It wasn't unlike Artemis to go missing from time to time – at least, that's what GA said, and not having the whole team at the mountain wasn't cause for a rescue mission. In fact, Kaldur wasn't there now. Robin assumed that he was in Atlantis. He'd said he'd be going...something about visiting Tula? Yeah, it had been something like that.

Anyway, Robin focused his thoughts. Maybe he was just overreacting. But then again, he had a very bad feeling about Artemis's mysterious disappearance, especially since she'd been so excited about being able to go on missions again. That, she'd told them, had been the deal between her mother and GA. When school started and her rib was healed, then she could be a hero again, no sooner. Ergo, it just didn't make sense for her to be missing! With dread weighing him down, Robin dialed Roy's number.

"What?" Roy snapped, answering his cell on the first ring.

"Hey there, Happy, it's Robin."

"And?" Roy sounded pissed. He'd definitely been with Artemis today. Robin couldn't remember anyone else making him act this way...well, _ever_.

"Have you seen Artemis today? She's missing."

"Yeah, I saw her. At the school." So Robin had been right after all.

"Why? Wally said you were looking for her yesterday too, what was so important?"

"Nothing." Roy snapped impatiently. "Is that it? You're looking for your criminal-turned-hero friend? Because I have better things to do than talk to you."

"Oh, take the pole out of your ass, Roy." Robin snapped, fed up with his wounded act. Something's going on and if you have information that could help us find Artemis, I need to hear it. Now."

"Screw you." Roy snarled, but continued nonetheless. "I heard that Shadows were looking for her. Alright. Happy now? I wanted to warn her. That's all I know. Goodbye." And then he hung up.

"Does anyone remember Speedy being this moody?" Robin asked the group, returning to the living area. He was still trying to process the information and using humor to buy himself some time. "Or is it just me?" Wally laughed, but then saw the serious look on his friend's face and sobered immediately.

"What's up, bro?" he asked.

"Roy says that Shadows are looking for Artemis." Megan gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth and even Superboy cocked a concerned eyebrow – a huge show of emotion, for him.

"Is it even remotely possible that – " Wally started, but Robin steamrolled right over the end of his sentence.

"Yes. Absolutely, yes." Robin said, thinking back. Artemis had a history with Cheshire and Sportsmaster – two very active Shadows – and now she was working with an organization that was sworn to bring them all to justice. _And _Sportsmaster knew it. Robin had overheard GA and Batman talking about Sportsmaster's appearance during one of Artemis's missions in Star City.

"Robin..." Megan whispered. "Do you think...that Artemis has been taken by the Shadows?"

"I think," Robin said slowly. "That we need to call Green Arrow. Right now."

* * *

><p>"Who are they?" Lawrence snarled, yet again, in his daughter's ear. Artemis was tied to a chair in the center of the dojo, weak, hurting, and in pain, but still hanging in there. And, more importantly, not giving Lawrence <em>anything<em>. Ra's had long since left the room – realizing that Artemis wouldn't give up any information willingly, he'd let Lawrence loose on her. The blonde was bleeding heavily from multiple stab wounds – nothing that might kill her, of course, they wouldn't want their captive bleeding out all over the nice clean floors, no that wasn't acceptable. No, nothing that would pierce a major artery or vein, but that didn't make them hurt any less – and shaking profusely from being shocked over and over again.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Artemis said weakly. She'd decided that playing dumb was her best defense at this point, but it was quickly wearing out. Lawrence roared with frustration and – again – Artemis felt the two sharp pricks as the Taser gun latched itself to her skin, immediately followed by an ungodly electric shock. Funny thing was, the shocks were starting to hurt less and less. Artemis knew that that could only mean one of two things: one, she was slowly becoming immune to the electricity playing havoc in her nervous system; or two, she was dying. For her sake, Artemis hoped it was the former.

"I'll give you this much, you're an excellent liar." Oh crap. Jade walked into the dojo, gliding over the wooden floors effortlessly. "I assume that trait runs in the family. But convincing as you are, Artemis, I know that the Justice League is up to something. We just want to know who your little sidekick friends are. And what they can do. And where they're stationed out of."

"Don't ask for much, do you?" Artemis murmured, spitting blood out of her mouth.

"Think of it as payment for all the invaluable lessons that your father and I taught you." Jade said smoothly, smiling serenely. Artemis wanted to strangle her.

"I...never wanted those... goddam lessons!" Artemis snarled, fighting feebly against the thick ropes binding her. "You _bitch_!"

"Now, now, Artemis, do you really want to make this harder on yourself?" Jade asked sweetly.

"I'm not telling you anything." Artemis vowed. Screw pretending, they already knew that she had intel that they wanted. And there was no way _in hell_ Artemis was going to give them what they wanted. She almost smiled to herself: if there was one thing that Lawrence had taught her, it was to never, ever give in to pain.

Bring it on.

* * *

><p>Oliver was beside himself. The archer was pacing furiously, back and forth in the Hall, waiting for Batman to give him some answers.<p>

"Oliver – " Batman started, entering the Hall.

"Oh, hell no, you are not running this one. I already lost one sidekick, Bruce, I'm not going to lose another. Not to the Shadows. Tell me you know where she is."

"I'm sorry." Bat – no, Oliver knew that tone, he was Bruce now. "I don't know where she is. With Artemis's history, it was naive for us to think she would be left alone. We – I – should've anticipated this." Bruce paused and pulled off his cowl. Tourist trips had been closed for the night anyway, it didn't matter and Oliver already knew what he looked like. "I truly am sorry, Oliver, I don't know where to start."

A new and, right then, completely welcome voice answered. "I do_."_

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><p><strong>Short, sweet AND a cliffhanger! This chapter has it all! Review or message me and tell me what you think! (Oh, and shadow rose2717, did you see how I incorperated your idea? I did that for you! Internet hugs! 3)<strong>

**Love you all! Review!**

**~Fae**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **Same...

**Author's Note: **So...many...reviews! It makes me so happy! Special thanks to _**artieelover, Kelsey, Darkness Bandit , Wheatieluv, shesXsuperXfreaky, GrayAreas , Allie, Orihime-San, Coconuat, KF-AxxMexx, Jane Doe, YJ-lover, BT4Ever, shadow rose2717, Cookie-monster, **_and_** Swifty**_ (by the way, _**Swifty**_, corny=a good thing! Never be ashamed!)

**Author's Note #2: **Okay, so sorry I didn't update a lot this week...I've been fencing my butt off and every night I was MAD tired...also, bad news, I'm going to be away all of this week and not back until Saturday! I'm sorry! *cowers from angry readers who expect lotsa updates*

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><p>Something is wrong, Artemis thought, then instantly began berating herself. Of course something was wrong! She was God knew where, being tortured by her hell-sent family! Did that seem wrong to anyone else? Oh, you in the corner, you think it's normal? Good sir, go check into Arkham ASAP! I think that you could greatly benefit from their services!<p>

Thousands of those kinds of mini-conversations were running through Artemis's mind at the speed of light. She had absolutely zero perception of where reality ended and fantasy began – the line was blurred and the scariest part was that Artemis had no idea it was happening.

"How long do you think she'll last?" Sportsmaster murmured to Cheshire, watching his daughter and her niece through a one-way mirror that let them see everything from a hidden observation chamber.

"Scarecrow used the drug on Batman, I don't think our Artie stands much of a chance." Cheshire answered smoothly. "I'll give her an hour, two tops."

"Good." Sportsmaster noticed Artemis thrashing and gesturing animatedly – or as much as was possible, while being tied up. What the hell was going through her head? "Cheshire." he said through his teeth. "Look at this."

"It's a hallucinogen, smart guy. She's seeing thing that aren't there. Calm down." But Sportsmaster wasn't so sure. Before, Artemis had been limp and immobile, but now she was fighting and fighting hard. And he knew exactly what she could do if she was angry enough – after, all he had trained her.

* * *

><p>"Artemis." Artemis's head snapped up. "What are you doing?"<p>

"Athena?" Artemis shouted. "Where are you?" She couldn't see her sister, but the voice was one she would recognize anywhere.

"Artie. I'm right here. No need to yell." Artemis still couldn't see her sister. Why couldn't she see her?

"Why can't I see you?" Artemis demanded, fighting against her bonds, not remembering where they'd come from or why she was so shivery and covered in blood.

"Because this is a hallucination, dummy!" Athena snapped, her voice finally gaining an edge. "Come on, think! Do you remember where you are, who brought you here? _Think_!" Artemis didn't remember. That was the problem.

"I don't remember!" Artemis said. Then, the next second it was untrue. Everything came rushing back in a dizzying, painful flash. Everything. The fog lifted, the haze cleared and Artemis knew exactly where she was – and what she was trying to keep secret. "Oh no. Athena!" she said frantically. "Did I tell them anything?"

"No. This was their last effort. It's a hallucinogen that's exclusive to the League of Shadows...they were trying to make you completely insane so you'd tell them whatever you wanted."

"And it almost worked." Artemis said, hating her weakness. She needed to be stronger than this! She was appalled that she had come so close with losing everything – her mind, her life, her friends. It didn't take long however, for that self-loathing to spiral into a burning, white-hot anger. She could deal with her own weakness. Now she wanted to deal with the ones who made her that way.

"Artemis, don't think like that. Do you know what they put you through? I do. And you should be proud to have lasted this long."

"How long have I been here, anyway?"

"A day and a half. You've been so strong, Artemis. Just hang on a little longer."

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked, a note of fear creeping into her voice.

"You're coming out of it. I'm not really here...and you're beating the drug. You're beating it! But that means..." Athena's voice drifted and then died altogether. Artemis completely lost it.

"No!" she screamed, struggling furiously and fighting like she'd never fought before. Athena's voice...only in her mind? What kind of sick, twisted – oh right. Her father and aunt. They would do that to her. "No!" But still, Artemis continued to fight, to scream. "Athena! Come back!"

There was an enormous explosion, followed by a blinding flash of fiery light, putting an abrupt stop to Artemis cries. Something fell over and crashed hard to the floor, but with all the smoke and debris flying everywhere, Artemis couldn't tell what it was. Wait...was that _laughter_? As soon as she placed it, Artemis wanted to start screaming again.

"Robin!" she yelled over the din. "Get out of here! Now!"

"Not a damn chance!" The Boy Wonder's voice came from behind her and suddenly, Artemis was free. She jumped up, energized with adrenaline and fear – they could kill her, but not her friend!

"Going somewhere, kiddo?" Lawrence had apparently decided to join the party. Artemis was grabbed from behind and a rough hand forced her head back, baring her throat.

"Robin!" Artemis shouted. "Run! Sport – " Her words were cut off by Lawrence's knife digging into her neck, drawing blood.

"Shut up!" he hissed in his ear. "Or I slit your throat right here."

"Go ahead." Artemis snarled back, ignoring him. "You were never going to let me live anyway." She could feel Lawrence's muscles tense, knew what he was about to do, and then he paused. Lawrence Crock had never once hesitated to kill someone. Artemis strained to look, trying to see what had made her father stop and could barely contain her surprise. Ten heroes were in the dojo – every member of her team and their mentors had come to rescue her, not just Robin. Even Superman had put aside his anti-Superboy issues. Artemis was nonplussed.

"Let her go!" Miss Martian's furious shout echoed in the air. Lawrence laughed menacingly. He lived for these kind of moments. Hostage situations were what made his job interesting.

"Well, well, well, aren't we popular? Aw, Artemis made some friends. That makes daddy very proud." Artemis stiffened.

"Shut up," she spat.

"What, you don't want your new friends to know who your father is? Or, how about your track record?"

"Shut _up_!" Artemis said, more forcefully, somehow managing to spin and land a good, solid punch right in her father's jaw. Lawrence hissed in pain, momentarily letting Artemis go and giving her a chance to spring away. Unfortunately, Jade appeared out of nowhere to intercept her.

With a knife.

Artemis groaned in pain as the blade pierced her arm, sticking there as she broke away violently, throwing more punches with her good arm. Jade snarled, catlike, and attacked. Then, all hell broke loose. The Leaguers leapt forward, all equipped and fully prepared to fight for their newest teammate, but Lawrence grabbed her from behind again, shoving his knife roughly into her windpipe.

"Nobody move!" he shouted. Artemis spluttered, choking on her own blood. "Or she dies."

"Leave me!" Artemis croaked, spitting out more blood. "Go!" Lawrence dug the blade in deeper, cutting of Artemis's voice and her air, as well as opening up a viciously deep cut on her neck – but just shallow enough to keep her alive. For now.

"Not a chance!" The voice echoed through the still room – right before Lawrence stumbled backwards, letting Artemis go (again) and screamed in pain. Artemis turned briefly, grinning savagely as she saw a brightly colored red arrow sticking out of her father's shoulder. Ripping the knife out of her own arm, Artemis whirled, ready to stab anyone who got in her way – hopefully Jade.

"Artemis, come on!" Robin materialized by her side, tugging her uninjured arm. Reluctantly – and because she really didn't have a choice – Artemis followed the Boy Wonder out of the dojo, weaving precariously in and out of the melee that had erupted the very second the arrow was fired.

"Get her out of here!" Batman ordered the rest of the teens before they could jump into the fray. "We will take care of this!"

"No!" Artemis protested, turning back. "I want to help!"

"Aqualad!" Batman shouted. The Atlantean grabbed Artemis's arm and helped Robin drag her into the Bio-Ship.

The bay doors closed and suddenly, everything was silent. The lack of noise hit Artemis like a hammer blow, knocking her to the ground.

"Artemis!" Megan cried, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?" Artemis didn't answer, just looked at her blearily. All of the adrenaline was wearing off and now she was bone-tired and could acutely feel each and every wound on her body. And there were too many to count.

"Okay, that was a stupid question." Robin said quickly. "Megan, Aqualad and I can take care of her, concentrate on flying us home." Megan nodded shakily and Superboy gently led her to the cockpit. Artemis had enough sense still about her to question Superboy's sudden caring gesture. What was going on there? She wondered. But her attention was taken off of those two and back into the present when Robin started leading her toward an area of the ship that she'd never seen before. Could Martian spaceships do that?

There wasn't enough room in the ship for a full-blown medical bay, but the team had somehow managed to fit a gurney and some sort of medicinal feed/I.V bag. Carefully, Robin helped Artemis onto the gurney while Aqualad prepared the I.V drip.

"This is going to pinch a little," he said in his calm, soothing voice. Artemis's head snapped up in time to see him coming at her, needle bared, and jerked backwards violently. And in the moment, she didn't see her teammate, her friend, trying to help her, instead, Artemis saw Lawrence advancing at her with a knife, ready and eager to cut her open again.

"Oh _hell_ no!" she shrieked, jumping up and backing away, quickly hitting the bay's wall. "Stay away from me!"

"Artemis!" The Atlantean said sternly, his voice taking on an edge. "It is me, Kaldur'ahm."

"Stay away!" Artemis hissed, trying to retreat even further, making herself as small as possible. He wasn't going to hurt her any more, she wouldn't let him. Artemis was like a wounded animal – she was going to attack to keep from being attacked.

"Artemis!" Robin broke in finally. "Chill out and calm down right now." It was Robin's voice that cut through the vision. Maybe the hallucinogen was still in her system...

"Robin? Kaldur? Sorry." Artemis whispered. "Damn. That bastard really did a number on me," she paused for a moment. "Kaldur...do you know anything about electroshock?"

"Yes," he said quietly. "What do you need to know?"

"How much can a person stand before their organs starts failing?" Artemis couldn't help it, she had to know. Cuts could heal, drugs would be passed through her system, but the near-constant electrocution wasn't something that would go away on its own – she had to know if it would kill her.

"It depends."

"Why?" Robin demanded, although he already knew the answer.

"Really?" Artemis asked venomously. "Are we really going to make me relive that? I just thought Kaldur was Sportsmaster. That's just about as screwed up as it gets. But, because you asked Boy Wonder, they shocked me. Over and over. I want to know if it was enough to kill me."

"No, I do not think so." Kaldur said before Robin could retort and wind Artemis up even more. "Please, let us help you right now. You've been through a lot." Artemis nodded and slowly leaned back onto the hard metal gurney, closing her eyes for the first time in what felt like ages. She didn't even need a sedative, in all of a minute and a half, Artemis was fast asleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, kiddo." Artemis padded sleepily into the kitchen of Oliver's apartment. She'd woken up fifteen minutes before, panicked and scared, still thinking that she was back in the dojo. For a few crazed seconds she'd started hyperventilating, unable to breathe, until she realized where she was. With Oliver. Safe. "How are you feeling?" Artemis didn't need to think about that one.<p>

"Like a freaking Thanksgiving turkey that's been electrocuted." Artemis said, yawning like it didn't bother her in the slightest. Then, all of a sudden, she had a horrible thought. "Oh, God, Oliver, what did you tell my mom?"

Oliver grinned sheepishly. "We lied. Said that you've been on a mission for the past four days. Oh, and we called the school too, so that's fine." His face sombered. "You've been asleep for two whole days, Artemis. You went through hell."

"I know. And from what I can tell, I'm going to survive, you guys stitched me up pretty good. I'm fine."

"Kid – " Oliver started.

"No. Oliver, if you start treating me like I'm a china doll I think I might spontaneously combust. It happened, I didn't give them what they wanted, now it's over. Oh," she said as an afterthought, "and if Batman asks me for a debriefing, I'm just letting you know that I'm going to tell him to shove it up his ass. Just a heads up." Oliver stared at his protege hard. He wanted to make her talk about it – not to hurt her, but because he knew that being there, in that place, with her father, had screwed her up more than she'd admit. But, in the same breath, he was glad to see that she was back to her old self enough to be making cracks at Batman. It was a start.

"Okay. But you there is one thing you have to do."

"What?" Artemis asked suspiciously.

Oliver smiled. "Go thank Roy for saving your life. He's the one who told us where you were and the one who shot the arrow at Sportsmaster."

Artemis would've rather gone back to visit her dear old dad, but Oliver was annoyingly insistent about it.

"Go on!" he said, kicking her out of the car. Of course, always a gentleman, Oliver had driven her to Red's apartment building, but refused to go in with her. "This is something you have to get over. Both of you have to get over it." Swearing under her breath, Artemis stomped up the stairs until she found the right door.

"Hello?" Red's voice called questioningly from inside the apartment.

"Red. It's Artemis. Let me in." After a second, the door opened. Artemis didn't wait to be welcomed in, just breezed through the door, ignoring the pain of her injuries and her wounded pride. "Look," Artemis started, looking up at Red for the first time. He was shirtless. Artemis's words died on her lips as she tried not to stare at his lean, muscular stomach. Holy crap, the boy had a six-pack!

"What?" Red said, crossing his arms over his perfect chest.

"Why?" Artemis fired, skipping the script she'd planned and asking the question that she really wanted answered. "Why did you tell them where I was? How did you even _know_ where I was? You hate me!"

"I don't hate you." Red disagreed softly. Artemis stopped cold.

"Could've fooled me."

"You don't get it, do you? Oliver was like a father to me, and then all of a sudden, he has you, the daughter he never had, the partner he always wanted. The one I never was. And you were right. I was an ass to him. I knew where you might be because I've been investigating the League of Shadows for months now. So, I told them where you were because I owed it to him." Artemis was a little more than shocked at his little speech. Red had always seemed like a heartless asshole. Had it all been just an act? She took a moment to marvel at the boy's camouflage abilities, almost missing his next, whispered words. "I owed it to you."

"You don't owe me anything." Artemis protested. Force of habit, really.

"Yes, I do." Artemis waited, but Red didn't elaborate and she got the distinct feeling that he wasn't about to anytime soon.

"Oh for the love of God, will you please put on a shirt or something?" Artemis burst out suddenly. Red grinned. Huh, he actually looked, well, hot when he smiled. Who knew?

"Sure. Do you want anything to eat? You look like crap." Red asked over his shoulder, pulling on a maroon sweatshirt that clashed with his hair.

"Well, thanks!" Artemis said brightly. "Now please excuse me while my pride and I go raid your fridge."

"Your welcome, and let me help."

It seemed impossible, but it looked like Artemis and Red were going to be able to live with each-other after all. And after three and a half food fights and a very close encounter with setting the apartment on fire, the two settled down on the couch to eat their enormous makeshift breakfast.

"Red?" Artemis said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah?"

_"Thank you for telling them where I was._

* * *

><p><strong>Ready everyone, all together now: AWWWWWWW! Wasn't that CUTE? Okay, so I'll see all ya'll Saturday (maybe, unless I'm dead tired, then I'll update ASAP)<strong>

**Oh, and FWI, for all of my Harry Potter fan-readers...I'm toying with the idea of a HP fanfic...I have the basic plot and characters sketched out in my head, but I wanted to see what you all thought about it. Let me know!**

**Review! DOOOOOOO ITTTTTTTT!**

**~Fae**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I don't own YJ...I do own this yummy ice creamy treat!

**Author's Note: **I'm baaaaaaaack! *Cue Joker voice* Did y'all miss me? Because I know that I missed you guys! Okay, so I know this is a long time coming, but I was away (in my defense. It's a meager one, but it's the only one I've got) and really, really tired when I got home yesterday. Heck, I'm still tired, but I owed it to you, my avid readers!

**Author's Note #2: **Special thanks to**_ Swifty, Allie, GrayAreas, shadow rose2717, Coconuat, Cookie-monster, YJ-lover, asdfghjkl321, artieelover, Jane Doe, shesXsuperXfreaky, Kelsey, yjfanatic, _ **and**_ woodspritethatconqueredpeople_**. You guys are the bestest! Oh, and **_woodspritethatconqueredpeople_** (love the name!), welcome to my little story, hope you enjoy! Also, _**Jane Doe, **_I find that I agree: tried writing is usually crapola, so I waited until I was semi-conscious to finish this.

**Author's Note Numero Tres: **Okay, so there is a date set! YJ is coming back to TV on September 16, when CN is officially airing episode 10, Targets! GET PUMPED!

* * *

><p>Artemis groaned in exasperation as – yet again – Kaldur danced around her during their training. It had been like that all day: her teammates, when she got in their way, eager to just get back to normal, would avoid her at all costs. Or, even worse, if Artemis tried to fight them, they wouldn't even bother counterattacking! It was borderline discrimination, she thought heatedly. After all, Wally and the others had had no problem knocking her on her butt in the past.<p>

"That's it." Artemis said finally, and started walking out of the gym. "I'm out." If they weren't going to take her seriously, Artemis didn't see any point in training at all. If they wouldn't fight her, she'd find someone who would. Red was always easy to provoke, maybe she could get him to attack her….

"Artemis!" Megan swooped down in front of her, interrupting Artemis's devious planning. "Where are you going?"

"To find someone who will actually try to hit me." Artemis snapped, not bothering to keep the bitterness out of her voice. The team had made it clear that they thought she was too damaged to be a real threat.

"We are trying." Kaldur said smoothly.

"That's a load of crap." Artemis said, turning toward him. "A week ago, you would've have had any problem shocking me into a coma – don't even try to deny it!" Artemis shouted before he could cut her off. "I know that you guys think that I'm too fragile to handle training, handle my job, since the Shadows tortured me, but they did me a favor." Artemis could see Megan wince when she mentioned her time with the Shadows. All of them did. Even Superboy stiffened. Artemis hadn't talked about what had happened in the dojo and nobody had asked, which was perfectly fine with her. She also had been careful not to mention that her captors were none other than her father and aunt.

"What favor?" Wally asked finally, moving forward.

"I'll show you." Artemis said confidently. "Kaldur, come here." The Atlantean obliged, coming to stand next to her. "Shock me." Artemis watched as his face contorted with confusion and sadness. Artemis couldn't really remember being rescued, it was all just a blur to her, but she knew that Kaldur and Robin had seen the worst of it, and that it had been Kaldur that had given Oliver some kind of mystical Atlantean antidote for her electroshock and the severe nerve damage. Artemis guessed that he was reliving the rescue.

"No." he said firmly. "I will not do that to you." With a frustrated sigh, Artemis snatched her teammate's hand and held onto it.

"Shock me," she insisted.

"No."

"Fine. I'll just go find an outlet to stick my finger into." Artemis said, breaking away. She started towards the door again when an angry shout stopped her in her tracks.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Robin demanded, looking livid. Artemis paused. She'd never seen the Boy Wonder so upset before, he was always so collected, even when he was being a pain in the ass, at least it was intentional. Now he looked like the words had forced themselves out of his mouth.

"No, and that's the whole point." Artemis said calmly. "Want to know what the Shadows wanted from me? Why they hurt me? It was for you guys. They know we're a team, and they wanted information. They wanted me to tell them where we operate out of, our civvie , everything. But I wouldn't give anything up. So, no, Robin, I wasn't trying to get killed, but if that's what it would've taken to keep your secrets safe, that's fine by me." Artemis's words were met by a stunned silence. The team had known that she was tough, but nothing like this. Especially from the newest member of the team, the idea that she would've rather died than give the Shadows the intel they wanted was sobering. "Besides, like I said, they did me a favor. Now, Kaldur, shock me, or I'm going to stun gun myself. Take your pick." Her ultimatum was met with wide eyes and Artemis knew that they were all questioning her sanity.

"Too late," she said, snatching Robin's Tazer out of his utility belt before he could protest and pressing it hard onto her skin. Megan screamed and the boys all rushed forward, expecting Artemis to drop like a stone, convulsing in pain. What actually happened, however, left them all speechless. Artemis stood her ground, barely feeling the electrical current running over her skin. It didn't even hurt. She'd been right back in the dojo: she was developing immunity. That, coupled with Kaldur's magic anti-shock serum, made her all but impervious.

"How?" Wally asked, his green eyes wide and shocked.

"The Shadows." Artemis shrugged noncommittally. "And whatever Atlantean super drug they pumped into my system."

"But how did you even figure it out?" Wally pressed.

"I stuck a knife into the toaster." Artemis grinned at Megan's horrified look. "It was an accident, calm down. Hey, it looks like you're the only one who doesn't have an advantage anymore, Boy Wonder." Robin smirked at her, back to his old annoying self.

"Right, because I'm the only one who doesn't need one."

"Shut up. But don't you guys get it?" Artemis looked to her teammates, her eyes imploring them to listen and understand her. "I'm actually _stronger_ now. I don't need to be babied and I don't need any of you to worry about me, okay? Because if this 'Artemis is to delicate to fight' crap continues, I will go out and _find_ a way to shock myself into oblivion. Now will you guys please stop fighting me and _fight_ me?"

For a moment, no one spoke, no one moved, until Superboy walked forward and clapped Artemis hard on the shoulder, so hard that she almost stumbled forward. Suddenly overwhelmed, Artemis threw her arms around his neck in a swift hug before quickly breaking away, embarrassed.

"And if any of you mention that again, I will shock _you_ into oblivion." Artemis winced, seeing Wally and Robin exchange gleeful looks.

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Wally asked.

"Our Artemis is a hugger!" Robin finished. Artemis rushed the boys, roaring a battle cry. Laughing, Wally zipped put of range, while Robin danced around Artemis's furious advances.

"Want to give me a big hug?" Robin taunted, skipping around the gym. Finally, Artemis caught him, wrapping her long arms around his stomach.

"Yes I do!" Artemis gasped with laughter, squeezing the Boy Wonder around the middle while he tried to collect himself. That was all it took for the team to jump in, turning the gym into a complete free-for-all. Inside, Artemis was glowing. Everything was back to normal. She didn't have to fight against the people she supposed to be fighting with. They'd been told the truth, Artemis had told them what they needed to hear and now, she was a teammate again.

What she didn't tell them about was the nightmares.

Every night was a different vision, a unique horror, new and awful, thought she'd already been through it all before. Artemis relived her experience in the dojo nightly, every time something new, every time it was vivid and so, so realistic.

"Do you want this to stop?" Lawrence asked, sounding sincere, almost compassionate. Artemis growled, mostly because she was almost incapable of speech. "All you have to do is tell me what I want to know, then it'll all end."

"That's because you'll kill me." Artemis rasped.

"True, true." Lawrence smiled, looking eager. "But wouldn't that be so much easier?"

"Go...go to hell." Artemis snarled. Lawrence clucked, shaking his head.

"Wrong answer," he said, raising his knife to his daughter's face and slicing deep, from her cheek to her chin.

Artemis woke up suddenly, shivering and covered with icy sweat. Her mouth was open and Artemis was ready to scream, but then remembered herself, remembered that her mom was in the next room over and stuffed a pillow over her mouth, smothering her shriek. When she was finally finished, Artemis stood and paced around her tiny room, trying to stop shaking. She nervously fingered the cut on the right side of her face. It had been healing pretty well, but now it felt brand-new, throbbing and painful. The walls were closing in on her and she wanted – needed – to get out before she broke down and exploded completely. Artemis thought that the chances of her mom not noticing her mental breakdown were pretty slim. Paula didn't know about what had happened at the dojo – hell, she didn't even there had been a dojo. She hadn't even seen the most extensive of her daughter's injuries – Artemis had taken to wearing long sleeves and sweatpants, though the damage to her face was harder to conceal.

Without thinking, Artemis grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table and dialed.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice came from the line.

"It's me." Artemis whispered, her voice shaking.

"Artemis?" the voice sharpened suddenly, becoming alert and worried. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" Slowly, Artemis told her story, trying to stay calm, trying to stay quiet. Not to mention that her ego was stinging. She hated feeling so weak, but there was no one else to call.

"Why did you call me?" Red asked, sounding more like his usual snappish self. "Why not Oliver, or anyone on the team?"

"Because!" Artemis said, her voice rising. "Because the guys finally stopped treating me like an invalid and Oliver already wants to tell my mom what really happened and then she'll pull me out. No more superheroing. And, honestly, that's the only good thing I have going for me right now."

"Okay," Red said slowly. "Why don't you come on over."

"It's two in the morning." Artemis said blankly. Where had that come from?

"And yet, that didn't keep you from calling me, did it?" Red said, a smile in his voice. "You sound like you need to blow off some steam. Come over and we can patrol. That'll give you a chance to abuse someone other than me."

"No promises." Artemis said, feeling so much better. "I'll be over soon."

* * *

><p>"Finally!" Red said, opening the door a half-hour later. "I was worried that I would have to come get you."<p>

"Well, Mr. Lives Alone, you don't have a mother who wants to know where you are at every second of every day, now do you? No, I think not."

Red grinned. "Even if I did, I sure as hell would be faster than you."

"Shut up." Artemis said, smacking his arm. Come on, let's go." As much as she hated to admit it, Red was right. Patrolling was exactly what she needed to do. It made her feel more normal than she had in a while – and, as Artemis knew, normal was a relative term. And being able to bash some heads together didn't hurt either.

"You have a lot of rage." Red said, watching her shoot an electrified arrow through a thug's hand – a hand that had been holding a gun, pointed straight at her.

"Why the surprised tone?" Artemis asked, unhooking the string that had been attached to the arrow from the miniature electrical generator on her hip and knotting it tightly against a telephone pole. The man wouldn't be able to move for a couple hours, at least. That would be enough time for the police to pick him up. The thought made her smile. "I've always been angry. Like you said, this is a helpful outlet. I'm not yelling at you, be happy." Artemis started to walk away, but then stopped, remembering, and stomped on the man's handgun, her combat boot practically snapping it in half.

Suddenly, a shaft of early morning sunlight appeared above the Star City skyline, momentarily blinding the blonde archer. Artemis's head snapped up, looking at the bright sunrise coloring the sky gold and tinting the clouds pink. It was late, way later than she'd thought. She and Red had been patrolling for almost four hours!

And school started at seven thirty.

"_Crap_!" Artemis shouted, making Red jump. "Oh, I am so, so dead."

"What?" Red asked.

"I have school in an hour. There's no way in hell that I'll make it, and if I don't show up today, the school will alert my mom and she'll kill me."

"Oliver was right, you do have a psychological fear of your mother." Artemis glared him.

"And you are an asshole," she said, whirling. She would have to go to Red's place again to change, then the Zeta station. It was official, her life was over.

"You wound me. This asshole was going to give you a ride." Artemis turned back toward him, her eyes wide, pleading him to forgive her.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Artemis demanded. "I have one hour, let's go!" Red grinned and took off running, all but verbally challenging her to race. Well, that's how Artemis took it anyway.

"I win!" Artemis said, touching the door and bursting through. "I'll be out in a minute!"

"I'm timing you." Fifty-four seconds later, the two were running again, down to the garage of Red's apartment. Artemis's mouth dropped open when Red hopped into the driver's seat of a gorgeous black 2012 Ford Mustang.

"Quit staring and get in!" Red laughed at the look on her face, roaring out of the garage as soon as she leaped into the passenger side.

* * *

><p>Artemis made it to school with two minutes to spare, her hair tousled by the wind and feeling better than she had in what felt like a long, long time.<p>

"Who's the hottie who gave you a ride?" Grace asked curiously in Bio, her blue eyes inquisitive and happy. Huh, she seemed happy that Artemis had friends. Would wonders never cease?

"Red. He's a friend of mine."

"Look at our girl, hanging out with college guys!" Jenna interjected, smiling naughtily.

"Who's hanging out with college guys?" Derek asked, catching onto the thread of conversation.

"Artemis." Jenna and Grace said together. Derek turned towards Artemis, suddenly looking weirdly parental. She had to keep from laughing. Her mom was crippled and her dad was a maniac; she couldn't wait to see what he thought parenting was.

"Daddy?" Artemis asked, making her eyes enormous, innocent and childlike. "Am I in twouble?"

"So who's this guy?" Derek asked seriously.

"He's just a fwend, Daddy. Please don't shoot him with your shotgun when he comes over for a pway-date." Jenna and Grace lost it, doubling over with laughter until they had tears running furiously down their cheeks.

"Artemis – " Derek started, still sounding stern.

"Derek." Artemis's voice lost the silly tone and became sharp. "How long have you known me?"

"A day."

"And in that day, have I ever let anyone push me around?"

"No," he said, sounding more assured, smiling a little.

"So you know that you don't have to worry about me. 'Kay?" Derek nodded, looking reassured. Grace and Jenna were silent for a moment before bursting out laughing again, shrieking with mirth and calling Derek "Daddy." Artemis grinned. That one was going to stick.

"So what's up with you and the college kid?" Grayson asked in the hall, smirking. "Word travels fast here." He said in explanation seeing Artemis questioning look. "So, what's the deal? Who is he?"

"What is it with the guys here and caring about who I hang out with?"

"Hey," Grayson shrugged. "I'm your friend, I just want to know who he is so I can beat him up if he hurts you." Artemis laughed, eyeing the small teenager up and down.

"Grayson, Red would take you apart."

Dick laughed, mostly at the irony than the threat. Sure, Red Arrow would be able to take down Dick Grayson, but Robin might prove to be a worthier opponent. But, of course, Artemis didn't know that they were one and the same.

He was glad to see her back in school. Though the team didn't know that – as civvies – they attended the same academy, Dick had taken it upon himself to keep a close eye on her. Artemis was working hard to prove that she was fine, that everything was back to normal, and maybe she even believed it, at the very least, she seemed to be holding everything together relatively well, but Dick knew exactly what it was like to be captured and tortured for information. It had happened to him more than once. And if there was one thing he knew, it was that having something like that, something so mind-bogglingly horrific, didn't leave you fine. Or normal, no matter how hard you tried to convince yourself otherwise.

Artemis seemed fine now, but Dick knew that there was going to be a break somewhere. There had to be: only five days after being rescued, she was back at training. She had given herself absolutely no time to recover, physically or mentally. Artemis was tough as nails, yeah, but no one was _that_ strong.

To put it simply, Dick was worried. He was worried about his teammate, his friend, and he knew that if she did need him, he would be there for her. He just hoped that she knew it.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I loved this chapter. I loved writing it, and I hope you loved reading it! Comments, questions, concerns, suggestions? I will read (and most likey address) them all! Oh, and Kelsey, get around to making an account yet? I can't wait until you're an official member of the FanFiction universe!<strong>

**~Fae**


	21. Chapter 21

**Discalimer: **Same old, same old

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I am soooooo sorry I've been so spacey in my posts lately...volleyball tryouts, that's all I'm going to say. Also, there's a reason they call it hell week.

**Author's Note Numero Dos: **So super-special internet thank yous to _**Coconuat, Allie, Wheatieluv, GrayAreas, Darkness Bandit, artieelover, KF-AxxMexx, Kelsey, shadow rose2717, Bookcrazy101, xstoriexluvrx, GuardianWolf216, **_and_** YJ-lover. **_You guys ROCK! And welcome to**_ Bookcrazy101_** and**_ GuardianWold216, _**welcome to my story!

* * *

><p>Artemis was excited, to say the least. To say the most, she was ecstatic. Batman had been hinting all week that they would have work to do during the weekend, and now – at long last – he was spilling.<p>

Finally, a mission, a chance to show everyone, once and for all, that she wasn't about to break into a million pieces. That helpful little aspect of her mental stability, was really thanks to Red. As jerkish as the boy could be, he had turned out to be a good guy. He kept her secret and was there whenever she needed him – which, unfortunately, was more often than Artemis would care to admit.

"Okay, team," Batman said, for once drawing Artemis's attention instead of immediately making her tune out. "The Venom serum has surfaced again. For those of you who don't know, it's – "

" – a super-steroid that gives the user amplified strength, muscle mass and speed. It was modified for some reason and you guys thought that you destroyed the shipment that Sportsmaster was sent to retrieve in Santa Prisca . Since it's around, I'd be willing to guess that he got away with a vial after all. Wasn't there some guy named Bane in on that? And something about a snake...Kobra, I think he was called." Her words were greeted with stunned silence. Funny how she seemed to be doing that more and more often lately.

"What?" Artemis asked, hands on her hips. "Batty is allowed to recruit me to some ragtag group of sidekicks but I'm not allowed to find out what kind of missions they've been on? Where's the _justice_ in that? Oh, and by the way," she said, turning toward the Dark Knight, "you should really amp up the security for the Justice League database."

"Anyway," Batman said after a tense silence. "The Venom serum has surfaced on the Black Market...in Gotham." Robin tensed. Obviously, Batman hadn't told his partner about his findings and this was the first he had heard of it. Artemis winced, that would kill Bird Boy.

"Where in Gotham?" Kaldur asked.

"The Narrows." Artemis's head snapped up, gray eyes flashing keenly.

"The _Narrows_?" Robin asked sharply.

"Yes." Batman said slowly. "Is that a problem?" Artemis looked at the boy, wondering why the worst slum in Gotham would mean anything to him, besides as a place to kick the crap out of the scumbags that prowled the streets.

"No." Robin said, thinking. "I know someone there."

"Of course you do!" Megan said brightly. "You and Batman have fought many criminals in the Narrows." She paused for a second, a questioning expression settling itself on her green features. "Why are they called the Narrows, anyway? Are the streets too narrow?"

"It's because the people who live there don't exactly live by the _straight_ _and narrow_." Artemis said without thinking.

"Back to the mission." Batman interrupted, wondering how the conversation had strayed so suddenly. Teenagers, he thought, mentally shaking his head. "You will infiltrate the warehouse where the serum is being stored. Get in, get the drug, get out. It should be quick and easy."

"Which means that it won't be." Artemis said, crossing her arms. Wally laughed.

"So you _did _read up on us," he snickered.

"Did you really want to be the leader, West?" she asked. Wally's face turned red, almost making his freckles disappear. "Dude, you have the intention span of a squirrel. How the hell were you going to lead everyone?"

"She got you good!" Robin said, smirking. Artemis grinned, turning on him.

"Says the boy who is just as mature as Wally!" Robin's smirk vanished and he turned crimson behind his mask.

"Batman," Kaldur said, turning their attention back to the situation at hand. "Is there anything else that we should know before going in?"

"No. The Zeta is set to take you to the Narrows. Get going."

"'Bout time." Superboy said, striding purposefully into the beaming station.

"Miss M, go into camouflage mode and survey the warehouse, the report." Aqualad said quietly, while the team silently stood in the shadows, staking out the building from the next street over. The Martian nodded solemnly, disappearing into thin air.

"Who do you know in the Narrows?" Artemis asked Robin, taking him discreetly aside while Kaldur filled Superboy and KF in on the plan. Artemis wasn't worried about missing the briefing, she never really went with _plans_ anyway. And Robin knew the city so well, she didn't really think it would be a problem for him either.

"I don't talk about my secret I.D." Robin said smoothly.

"And yet you mentioned a friend in the Narrows." Artemis retorted. She wasn't sure why this was bothering her so much, but for some reason, his little slip up was sticking out in her mind like a beacon.

"I never said that she was a friend." Robin protested. Artemis stopped suddenly, feeling ice coursing through her veins, followed by fire.

_All clear_. Miss M's voice echoed in her head before Artemis could fully process Robin's words.

_Good. _Aqualad said. _Superboy, you and Kid Flash come with me and patrol the perimeter. Artemis, Robin, you get in and get out. Megan, you stay with them and keep everyone out of their way._

Everyone nodded their assent and raced off. Robin lead the way, stopping quickly to pick the lock on the door. Artemis rolled her eyes, shot an arrow into the side of the building and slid through the window.

"You could've waited." Robin said, sounding irritated

"You could've been faster." Artemis shot back.

_Are you two fighting?_ Miss M asked in their minds, confused by the harshness of their voices. Robin and Artemis always seemed to be such great friends. The two quieted immediately, but Artemis couldn't stop herself from thinking as she walked. Robin patrolled Gotham...especially the slums. And he knew someone – a friend, a girl – who lived there? It just didn't add up...

_Artemis! _Miss Martian shouted, shocking Artemis back to attention. _Two men, behind you! They're armed!_

_Stay hidden! _Artemis ordered. _Surprise is your best advantage, I've got this! _Artemis could feel her teammate's hesitation, but the green girl didn't spontaneously appear, so she took her orders as followed.

Arming herself, Artemis spun furiously and launched an electrified arrow into one of the men and he dropped like a stone, shuddering and shaking, but not making a sound. Artemis grinned sinisterly. Good.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Robin demanded, quickly knocking out the second thug and glaring at her. "First you break through a window and now you're electrocuting people? What the hell, Artemis?"

"Be glad that it wasn't you, Bird Boy." Artemis snarled. "You lied to me. You've _been_ lying to me."

Robin looked incredulous. "What the hell did I lie about? And is this really the time?" Artemis didn't have a chance to reply, because all of a sudden, Miss Martian cried out and shot backwards, so fast that Artemis actually felt the slipstream above her head.

_What's wrong?_ Artemis asked urgently, stopping in her tracks.

_Superboy's in trouble!_ She said, her mental voice growing quieter and quieter as she flew to the very edge of their mental range. Why was Superboy so far away from the warehouse? They were only a couple of yards in!

"Well I guess that it's just us." Robin said. Right, the mental link: he could hear everything that she did.

"Fantastic." Artemis snarled. She couldn't pinpoint exactly why she was so on edge. People lied to her all the time, but the fact that _Robin_ had, and she'd trusted him. More than anyone else, she thought that he, of all the kids on her team, had had her back. But now she knew the truth – well, not so much _knew_ as had a gut feeling that she was almost positive was correct. "Let's keep going. Miss M will catch up if they don't need any help on the surveillance end."

Robin hesitated for a second. "Do you think we should check in with the others?"

"No, we have an objective, let's get it done."

"Miss Martian was our scout."

"Don't you trust me?" Artemis asked, her voice somehow dangerously flirtatious. Robin wondered briefly how she managed to do that, it didn't seem humanly possible. Then again, sometimes, the blonde archer didn't seem quite human either.

"Not when you're pissed. I don't know if you'll shoot the bad guys, or me."

"As long as you're not one of them, you have nothing to worry about." Artemis said, pressing on. There was no point staying in one place where they could be ambushed. "Come on, let's keep going." The two walked forward in tense silence, weapons out and ready to be used.

"Over here," Robin whispered, vanishing through a door on the right. Artemis followed him silently, an arrow nocked at prepared to fly, aimed over the young teen's head in case anyone unfriendly should appear from the shadows. The very second that she stepped into the room, an industrial steel door slammed into the floor from the ceiling, locking them in.

"Oh, damn." Artemis cursed. You would've thought she would see something like this coming, but no. Crap still happened and it _still _took her by surprise.

"How much you want to bet that there's someone outside diverting the others?" Robin mumbled under his breath. Growling, Artemis shot a flaming arrow into the ceiling, shedding a little bit of light into the room.

"Whoa," Artemis breathed. Surrounding them were crates upon crates, all labeled _VENOM_ in big, boldfaced letters. "They certainly made them easy to identify, didn't they?"

"They knew that we would be here." Robin said, fingering the latch on one of the crates, then prying it open. The entire space was filled with a softly pulsating, sky-blue light. The vials were phosphorescent and they were so bright that they almost lit up the whole room.

"And they wanted to separate us from the rest of us. Why?"

"Because you two are human." The two heroes spun and Artemis could feel Robin tensing next to her. She felt a stab of worry – then remembered that she was mad at him and quashed that feeling.

"And you're not?" Artemis snarked at the enormous man that had snuck up on them so silently. How had that happened anyway?

"He doesn't think so." Robin murmured.

"Ah yes, Boy Wonder," the man drawled. He really was huge, with creepy, slitted red eyes that were barely visible from under a snake-like hood, decorated with two fangs and another set of just-as-creepy yellow eyes. Well at least she had a name for him now: Four-Eyes. "You have troubled me before." Artemis could feel herself bristling at the man's haughty tone.

"Well I bet that anyone with twenty-twenty vision would trouble you, Four-Eyes." Artemis snapped.

"I am Kobra, foolish mortal girl." Ooh, scary, Artemis thought nastily, standing her ground as the eerie red and yellow eyes were turned on her. At the same time, Artemis connected the dots: Kobra, Venom serum...if Sportsmaster got away with a vial, could he have collaborated with the snakey dude to reverse-engineer more of the drug?

"You named yourself after a snake and you think _you're _not mortal?" Artemis snarled, putting her thoughts aside for a moment.

"I am a god." Kobra said simply. Artemis rolled her eyes.

_Don't screw with him_. Robin's voice whispered softly in her mind. _This guy's dangerous. _No, she wasn't going to answer. Still mad.

"And I am a goddess." Artemis answered with a regal air. "Artemis, patron goddess of archery, at your service." She nocked her bow and grinned. The red eyes narrowed and that was the only warning Artemis got before Kobra attacked. The way he moved was frighteningly quick and she had to frantically dodge his viciously accurate blow.

"Artemis, move!" Robin shouted, shoving her out of the way and jumping in front of the cult leader himself, taking a brutal hit in her stead. Idiot! Artemis ground her teeth, picking herself up off of the ground and shooting arrow after arrow at Kobra, who moved through the air faster than anyone she'd ever seen.

"You. Are. So. Damn. Annoying!" Artemis hissed, shooting an arrow with every word. Not one of them made their mark. Not one! With a furious cry of frustration, Artemis charged the enormous man with some foolhardy, vain hope of tackling him to the ground. She found out quickly that she had no chance, none whatsoever. Kobra seized her by the throat and spun her around, so that she was facing Robin, who had stopped dead. Artemis knew that with a quick twist of his wrist, Kobra could snap her neck in less than a second.

Something else added to the blue light that filled the room, casting violent shadows on the wall. Artemis felt herself stiffen. It was a Tazer.

No, she didn't think she could handle that.

Shrieking, Artemis thrashed, trying futilely to squirm away from the enormous man, but his grip was like iron and only grew tighter, beginning to choke her.

"_Hãy __đ__i! Hãy __đ__i c?a tôi!_" Let go! Let go of me! Artemis cried, in her panic reverting to Vietnamese.

"Ah, yes," Kobra drawled. "Sportsmaster said that you wouldn't like that." Sportsmaster. Lawrence. The mention of that name alone snapped Artemis back to her senses. She took a steadying breath – quite a feat, considering the muscly arm constricting her windpipe – and remembered herself. She was better than this, she was _stronger _than this. And she was going to win.

"Don't shock me." Artemis whispered, her voice small and childish. "Please, please don't shock me." Robin was still crouched on the floor, unmoving, scared to make any sort of move for fear that Kobra would kill Artemis, but a small, satisfied grin quirked itself on his mouth before vanishing as fast as it had appeared.

"Unfortunately, I am a vengeful god." Kobra said, stabbing Artemis's forearm. Emboldended by the thrill of electricity coursing through her body, Artemis turned and faced him.

"And I am a pissed off goddess," she whispered, lightly placing her hand on his face. That's when things got weird. Somehow, she acted like a conductor for the electricity and transferred it from the Tazer in her arm to the man holding it. Needless to say, Kobra dropped without a sound, still conscious when he hit the ground. Not so much when Artemis kicked him in the head.

"You okay?" Robin asked Artemis once she'd made sure that Kobra was out for the count.

"Fine," she replied tersely.

_Robin, Artemis, report in! _Aqualad's voice sounded in their heads.

_We're fine. Kobra's down, we got the Venom. _Robin said, skipping the details. Batman would want those when he debriefed them. _What happened on your end?_

_Kobra Cultists. Lots of them. _Artemis winced slightly, hearing the strain in Aqualad's voice.

_You guys alright? s_he asked, finally joining in.

_Miss Martian is hurt, but Superboy is taking care of her. KF and I are okay, no worse for wear. Stay where you are, we are coming in to get you. _Neither Artemis nor Robin answered, just send their mental consent. _We'll be there soon._

Artemis moved silently through the room, careful not to touch Kobra, who was still motionless on the ground, pacing, trying to make herself look busy. The energy of the electricity was still in her system, making her jumpy, amplifying every emotion that was swirling around in her head. Namely, anger. If she stopped, Artemis was afraid that she might explode, and no one would be better if _that_ happened.

"How did you do that?" Robin asked finally after watching her moving restlessly around room for a minute.

"Do what?" Artemis asked without stopping. Keep moving, she told herself, don't lose it, keep moving.

"Knock him out like that!" Robin said, his voice a little louder. "You said that you were immune to electricity, not a damn conductor!"

"Well, I guess that you're not the only one keeping secrets, Grayson." Artemis said, her voice quiet, but still maintaining a cold, biting edge. Her steely gray eyes cut to Robin and in an instant she knew that her guess was correct. She _knew_ that she'd trusted Robin too quickly, Artemis should've known that the reason she was so trusting was that he was familiar to her. She liked Grayson, and then along came Robin – Boy Wonder, apprentice to the man who had tried to put her behind bars at least four times – and she had let her guard down because somewhere in her subconscious, the young hero reminded her of her friend from Gotham Academy. Artemis was livid. She was so stupid! She should've put the pieces together faster, or, better yet, Robin – Grayson – should've told him who he was!

"Not even going to try to deny it?" Artemis asked bitterly.

"Why?" Robin asked, infuriatingly calm, shrugging his shoulders. "You've figured it out, why lie?"

"Why break the habit?" Artemis snarled back at him. "Tell me, did you know who I was when you let Sportsmaster shoot Athena? Did you let her die because you wanted to get back at me, the petty criminal who had already showed up you and your mentor twice? Was that it?"

"The hell it was!" Robin shouted, fire in his eyes for the first time. Finally. It was _so_ much harder yelling at a person who wasn't going to yell back. "I couldn't do anything because when Athena was being threatened, I was just Dick Grayson, ward of the richest man in Gotham. I was just a kid! Believe it or not, Artemis, I had to let her take the bullet for me because sometimes there are more important things to protect. My family is one of them!

But don't you think for one goddam second that it was because of you. I didn't even know who you _were_ then! I have hated myself – hated who I had to be at that moment – more than you can even imagine. I couldn't save Athena because I had an identity to protect, not because of some stupid feud with a girl off of the streets!"

"You let Athena die because you are the most selfish bastard I have ever met!" Artemis screamed. "You couldn't let the world know that Dick Grayson and Robin were the same person, so you let an innocent girl – a girl who was trying to protect you – get shot! She was _protecting you_!"

"Do you think that I don't know that?" Robin demanded. "Do you think that I haven't lost sleep over this? I'm sorry for what happened to your sister, I'm sorry that I lied to you, but it's my job to lie." Robin sounded tired now, worn out from fighting – physically and verbally. "I'm not asking you to forgive me, just keep my secret."

Artemis paused, breathing heavily, murder flashing in her eyes. "I'll keep your goddam secret – I'll keep Batman's too – but I will never, never forgive you. Not for me. For my sister." Artemis spun and shot an arrow into the steel door, blowing a whole right through the center. She knew that what she said was true. She would never forgive him – not for lying to her – for letting Athena die when he could've done something about it. She'd never forgive him.

* * *

><p><strong>GAH! And they were making such great progress too! Didn't you all think that Artemis and Robin were bestest buddies? UGH, this chapter frustrated me. It had to happen, but it made me sad to write. <strong>

**Oh, and P.S., I know that the last chapter wasn't my best, and I hope this one was up to snuff...likes? Dislikes? Comments? Reviews (duh, that's a given)? Love you guys!**

**~Fae**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **it hasn't changed...though I was informed by a lovely reviewer (thanks _**grayson-phantomhive**_!) that there is going to be a YJ episode in the near future (September for the US) mainly focused around Artemis and Robin! WOOT! Let me say it again...WOOOOOOOOOT!

**Author's Note: **As always, you readers are amazing! I got such great feedback from the last chapter (I know, it was a love-hate kinda thing) and I'm almost to 200 reviews! Keep it coming! Okay, so super-special thank yous to_ **Allie, asfghjkl321, artieelover, GrayAreas, KF-AxxMexx, Bookcrazy101, Coconuat, YJ-lover, Darkness Bandit, GuardianWolf216, Kelsey, grayson-phantomhive, **_and _**woodspritethatconqueredpeople. **_Not to mention you Anonymous reviewers and everyone who added me to their Favorite/Watch lists! Internet hugs for everyone!

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><p>"M'gann, if you ask me if I'm okay one more time I'm going to <em>give <em>myself some kind of injury for you to worry about." Megan blushed and lowered her previously-fluttering hands to her sides, looking bashful. The whole team – minus Robin – was back at Mount Justice, hanging out and utilizing their well-deserved rest. Not to mention nursing various minor injuries.

"Sorry. But Kobra is so dangerous! You could've been killed!"

"I could say the same to you." Artemis countered. "I don't need any special attention, alright? I am in tip-top shape. Well..." she trailed off, casting her eyes downward.

"What is it?" Megan asked, snapping to attention like a soldier under review. "What can I do?"

"Well, I am a little hungry... Do you think you could make me some cookies?" Artemis smiled at her green friend, knowing that she wouldn't stop fussing until she was given something to do.

"Oh, of course!" Megan said, flying into the kitchen, already levitating ingredients across the large space. "They'll be ready in a half-hour! Until then, you stay put!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Artemis said, snapping her a smart salute and marching into the living room, smiling to herself as she watched Superboy get up and walk silently into the kitchen to help Megan. A blind man could see that there was something between those two and – she hated to admit it – it made her happy that they were together. It was just so damn adorable!

"You know, in most states, your little Jedi mind trick would be affectionately called _extortion_." Wally said, grinning up at her from the couch.

"Shut up, Baywatch." Artemis said, flopping down across his lap. "What'cha watching?"

"Terminator II."

"Shut up! I love this movie!" Artemis said, snuggling in to watch.

"What is it with girls and saying shut up all the time? How are guys supposed to know if its a good shut up or a bad shut up?" Wally wondered aloud.

"Bad shut up it usually accompanied by a slap." Artemis said helpfully. "But, being the kind, gentle soul that I am, I didn't hit you. Most girls would." Wally smirked.

"I am glad that you two have found a movie that pleases both of you." Kaldur said, joining them before Wally could come up with a clever retort. "I don't think the mountain could take another popcorn battle." Artemis and Wally grinned and slapped high-fives. "And Artemis, you are sure that you're okay?"

"Kaldur, I am fine. Not a scratch on me."

"Scratches, no; electrical residue, yes." Wally chimed in. Artemis glared up at him.

"Whose side are you on?" she demanded. Wally shrugged slightly. "No moving! You're making yourself uncomfortable!" Artemis reprimanded, pushing her teammate/seat back into a more comfortable position. For her, anyway.

"Electrical residue?" Kaldur asked, his pale eyes piercing through her.

"I redirected the electricity from Kobra's Taser back at him. I'm still kinda buzzed, if you want to know the truth."

"Buzzed? Is that like being high?" Wally asked, his green eyes shining curiously. Artemis smirked and jabbed her finger into his arm, sending a tiny spark of electricity through it. The speedster jumped then rubbed his arm, looking petulant. "Ow! Not nice!"

"Not my fault!" Artemis said. She turned to Kaldur. "I was wrong before: it's not that I don't feel electricity, I almost absorb it. Does that make sense? Kind of like a conductor. Anyway," she turned back to Wally. "Don't blame me for zapping you! Blame Mr. Wonder Drug over there!" Artemis said, pointing a finger at Kaldur'ahm.

"Doesn't make it hurt any less." Wally griped.

"Stop being such a girl. Ooh!" she squealed, her attention riveted back to the movie playing. "I love this part!

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><p>What am I going to do? Robin thought, pacing the floor of the Batcave. Batman was going to kill him. Artemis knew, she knew their secret and she was angry enough to tell the world. Yeah, she'd promised to keep it to herself, but with a temper like hers, Robin didn't know if she'd go back on her word...but he wouldn't put it past her. Artemis had survived by using lies for her entire life.<p>

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked, walking in, out of uniform. "Why are you still suited up? You just came back from a mission."

"Artemis knows." Robin whispered. "She knows who I am. And who you are." For a moment, Bruce's face contorted, becoming twisted, angry, but he quickly regained control, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"_This_ is why we don't want you interacting with the others' civvie ." Bruce said slowly, still trying to keep calm. "Fix it. I don't care how you do it, I just want it done. Soon." Robin grimaced, and nodded.

"Now." Bruce pressed. Robin took his cue and left, revving up his motorcycle and rocketing out of the cave's "driveway."

He knew where he was going. Getting there – especially as Robin – was going to be the difficult part. Hell, even going into the Narrows as Dick Grayson at night with wasn't going to be a picnic, either.

Stashing his bike in a decrepit old warehouse, Robin changed quickly and navigated the dark streets, sneaking through the shadows until he found the right apartment building. From there it was an easy matter to climb the fire escapes up to the fifth floor and swing into a window that lead to Artemis's room. Dick had just gotten in when he heard footsteps.

"Get out." Artemis snarled, seeing him in her bedroom, not bothering to hide her severity. Or mask the darkness that clouded her face, making her look like a wraith, ready to kill. Dick winced internally, but didn't move, instead planting a smile on his face. "Grayson, get the hell out of my house or I will kick you out."

"That's sounds enticingly like a threat." Dick said, grinning superiorly and putting on a cocky face that he knew she hated. Stupid? Maybe, but it was his only defense against her at this point.

"There's nothing enticing about a boy who is about to get thrown out of a window." Artemis growled. "Or maybe I should just tell everyone here who Dick Grayson really is? I think the Mob would be very interested to get that information, don't you?" Damn, she was scary when she was like this. Despite what she had promised, Dick knew without a doubt that Artemis would throw his ass under the bus without a second thought. She was that pissed.

"I came to apologize." Dick said, losing the attitude.

"Unaccepted. Good try, though. _Now_ get out."

"No."

"Dammit, Grayson!" Artemis shouted, fed up and furious. "You lie, you lie for yourself, to cover your own ass and, guess what, someone I love – hell, the only person I've ever loved – is dead because of it. So you can take your apology and shove it because as far as I can tell, Athena isn't coming back, but Robin and Batman's identities survive to screw me over another day. Congratulations."

"Oh, get the hell off of your soapbox, Artemis. You've lied for your entire life. The world is not out to get you, life just pretty much sucks in general. Yes, I lied to you, yes your sister got hurt because of it, and I am so sorry about that. But can you even imagine how many people would die if Batman and Robin didn't exist in this city? You think things are bad now? You have no _damn_ idea."

"You think I don't? You think Law – Sportsmaster – didn't tell me what things were like? What they were going to be like if he gets his way?" Artemis took a deep breath and suppressed a shudder. She wasn't lying – her father _had _told her, in excessive, horrible detail, the way that things had been. After all, he had to have some way to torment her when she was too weak to stand any more physical abuse. "I lie to keep the people around me safe, Robin. Grayson, whoever the hell you are. You lie to protect yourself." Artemis growled, then made a quick decision. If she stayed here, talking to him, she'd do something stupid – like killing the child genius/Boy Wonder, for instance. Pinching the bridge of her nose and trying desperately to keep calm – er, calm_ish – _Artemis shoved past Grayson and snatched up her bow, smoothly slinging it across her back.

"Where are you going?" Grayson demanded, grabbing onto her arm. Artemis stopped dead, then turned, giving him a look that promised pain and suffering if he didn't let her go.

"Away from you. Don't follow me." Ripping her arm away from Grayson, Artemis took a few steps backwards, then launched herself out of her bedroom window, relishing the few moments of heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping free-fall, before shooting her grappling gun into the side of a neighboring building and landing neatly on her feet.

"Artemis!" a voice floated down to her, but Artemis ignored it, taking off at a furious run. "Artemis!" Dammit! He was following her. Despite the rage that was coursing through her veins, despite whatever she said otherwise, Artemis didn't want to fight anymore – she didn't want it to escalate to something violent. And if he caught up with her, Artemis knew that where it would lead.

"Go away!" Artemis shrieked, grabbing a trick arrow out of her quiver and shooting it into the ground, then covered her mouth and nose as the arrow exploded into a whirlwind of smoke, making the street all-but-impossible to navigate. Luckily, Artemis was close enough to her destination that she didn't have far walk, even if she was pretty much blind.

"Star City!" she dictated, squeezing her eyes shut tight. There was a flash of light and then silence. Coughing and choking on smoke, Artemis stumbled out of the Zeta station, leaning heavily on the brick building until she could breathe again, then starting running again and finally stopped in front of Red's apartment.

"Red!" she called, pounding on the door. "Red!"

"Hey, what's up?" Red asked, opening the door. He was shirtless. Again. Artemis felt herself blushing, but tried her best to ignore it. She wasn't here to feel embarrassed, she was here because she needed to see someone who wouldn't try to make her feel better, just let her vent; or make her want to hurt someone.

"I just needed somewhere to go, okay?" Artemis said. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Red said, letting her walk past him into the apartment. "And before you ask, yes, I have food. Better than that, I have cake."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Artemis asked, heading toward the fridge.

"It would be nice to hear it a little more often." Red said, grinning. "Cut me a piece." Artemis obliged, then pulled the plate back when he reached for it.

"No cake until for you until you put on a shirt!" Artemis scolded, smiling. It was crazy how much better she felt. It seemed like lately Red was the only person who didn't make her want to throw a chair through a wall and then set the house on fire.

"Oh come on this is my place. What if I don't _want_ to wear a shirt?" Red whined. Artemis pulled a face and sat down, eating her cake, taunting him.

"Do you _want_ Oliver to beat the crap out of you for sexual harassment?" she asked, trying to look severe. Red looked like he wanted to argue, then thought better of it and pulled on a T-shirt.

"Good boy. Now you get cake."

"Thank you." Red said, snatching the plate out of her hand and sticking his tongue out. Mature, real mature. "So what's up? Who's got you so pissed?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Artemis muttered, feeling her black mood slamming back in full force.

"How many times have we been over this?" Red asked, his mouth full. "When you don't talk about it, it gets worse and you usually take it out on me."

"Let me rephrase: I _can't_ talk about it. And I don't take it out on you!" Artemis protested.

"Tell me what you can tell me." Red insisted, more seriously. He knew that Artemis hated to emote, but she'd slowly begun to trust him with her secrets and he didn't want her to start holding back now.

"Fine!" Artemis said, jumping up, her dessert discarded. "Do you ever feel like this job is going to kill you? That you've found out one too many secrets and that they were going to end up eating you alive?" Artemis was ranting and she knew it, but she couldn't seem to stop. "I just don't get how you people can stand it! You're supposed to be the good guys, but you have more secrets than the Shadows! Secrets I.D.s, back-door deals, how do you – "

Artemis's voice was abruptly cut off by Red's lips on hers. She froze, unable to process what was going on. For a second, she thought she was going to break away – then beat the crap out of him – but something stopped her. A little voice in the back of her head that screamed: _DO NOT RUIN THIS! HE IS THE BEST THING THAT'S HAPPENED TO YOU SINCE OLIVER! _In an instant, all of the times Red had been there for her flooded into her mind – all of them at once. The countless times that she'd come over to vent, or just hang out; the midnight calls when she had nightmares; patrols around Star City (because _God forbid_ anyone but the dynamic duo run around Gotham at night). Everything. And without realizing it, Artemis found herself kissing him back. Encouraged, the kiss deepened: Red wasn't worried about being rejected anymore – he knew that this was what they both wanted.

"Feel better?" Red asked when they finally broke apart. Artemis nodded into his chest, smiling blissfully, her anger forgotten. "You know," he said, pressing his forehead to hers, "for a second there, I thought you were going to hit me."

Artemis looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "For a moment there, I almost did."

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><p><strong>It's shorter than usual, I know, but I thought this was the perfect ending to the chapter. Artemis is happy again! Yay! Oh, and I'm sorry for the late update. I wanted this chapter to be perfect and Artemis kept being all persnickety about what I was writing. Needless to say, this was like the fifth draft of the chapter. <strong>

**Artemis: Hey! Did you _want_ to screw up Red and my first kiss? **

**Me: Artemis! Get off of FanFiction! This is not for you! OUT! **

**Artemis: *Leaves sullenly***

**Me: Sheesh. Main characters. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Now... REVIEW GUYS, ARTIE NEEDS YOUR FEEDBACK!**

**Artemis: Yeah guys, you don't her to make me BORING, do you? Me...boring... *shudders***

**Me: Hurtful! I'm NOT boring! You and I are going to have a long talk about a thing called "invasion of privacy," missy. *Stomps away, dragging Artemis by her hair***

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**~Fae**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, but I'm SO GLAD! because there's a BRAND NEW EPISODE coming on Friday! YAAAAAAY!

**Author's Note: **In leu of thanking everyone individually (and you know who you are, I know who you are and I love you all so much) I'm just going to stop apologizing. School is killing me. I am a nerd, so I put a TON of time into homework and I'm playing volleyball which is taking my time from my hands like a mean kid takes a smaller kid's toys (like the analogy?) And I've been working on another project that will most likely be posted here tonight as well, so everyone read it!

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><p>"Rob," Wally said, walking into his best friend's workshop – a room that looked like a science laboratory and car garage exploded – an uncharacteristically serious, thoughtful look on his face. "I think we have a problem."<p>

"What's up?" Robin asked, not taking his eyes off of the weird chrome contraption he was working on.

"It's Artemis," Wally started. Isn't it always? Robin thought bitterly, accidentally snapping off a piece of his project. He swore, slamming it down on the table, smashing it to bits. "Um," Wally began again, startled by his friend's sudden temper tantrum. "I came in today and she was smiling." Artemis, smiling? Had 2012 come early? Was the end near? Wally waited for Robin to grasp the sheer enormity of the situation. Artemis did not smile, not willingly, not unless something bad was about to happen and she was behind it. Hm, now that he thought about it, she did smile a lot.

"So? She's in a good mood, what's the big deal?" Robin asked, picking up his mangled gadget again and trying to reattach the wing-like appendage that he'd broken off.

"The big deal is that I started making fun of her and she laughed. She _laughed_. And then she told me that I was funny!" Why wasn't he getting this? Wally wondered.

"It's not a big deal, man. Statistically speaking, she was bound to laugh at one of your jokes eventually." Robin said, still working on his doodad.

"Okay dude, what's up with you?" Wally demanded. "You've been moody and maudlin ever since you got back from the Kobra assignment. What gives?"

"Nothing gives." Robin replied, his voice dark and icy, his tone clearly indicating that the conversation was over. He would've made Batman proud.

Wally quickly backed out of the room, all the while wondering how the hell Artemis and Robin had switched bodies. Usually she was the moody one...

"Hey, West!" Wally's head snapped up. Only one person called him "West" and he was convinced that she was a victim of the Body Snatchers.

"Artemis..." he returned unsurely, unnerved by what he was seeing: Artemis was in the kitchen. And it didn't look like she was about to set it on fire either, which was a new and unusual twist that Wally wasn't entirely prepared for.

"What's up?" she asked, her voice happier than he'd ever heard it before.

"Okay, question: are you on drugs?" Wally asked bluntly. Hey, he'd never said that subtly was his strong suit.

"No, I'm not into narcotics," she replied. No smart-ass remark, no sarcastic quip, just a simple, straight-forward comment.

"Then what is up with the mood swings?"

"Am I not allowed to be happy?" Artemis asked, still smiling to herself.

"No. You're Artemis. You don't get happy, you do bad things to people who piss you off and that brings you satisfaction. But no, happiness isn't really an option." Wally said, his fists on his hips, demanding answers.

"It is now," she said serenely, breezing out of the kitchen and out of the living space, humming to herself. "Oh, and there is food in the oven if you're hungry."

Wally could only stare, mouth open, at his blonde teammate as she walked past him.

"Is she on drugs?" Superboy asked, his usually expressionless voice infused with surprise. Wally hadn't even noticed him come in.

"I have no idea."

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><p>Wally and Superboy weren't the only ones who were noticing Artemis's dramatic change in behavior but, honestly, she couldn't bring herself to care. Wally was right, she didn't get happy, she got even. She should really be more careful, but Artemis hadn't felt this good since...since Athena had died.<p>

"Kid," Oliver said when she answered her cell phone on the third ring. "Hey I need your help. How fast can you get here?"

"On my way." Artemis grabbed her stuff out of the room that she had in the mountain and quickly made her way out of Mount Justice. Oliver had sounded urgent. Oh damn, Artemis thought, noticing a wire sticking out of the arrowhead of one of her tricks. Shouldering her bag, she whipped out a pair of tweezers and started trying to fix it – all while running through the corridors toward the exit, of course.

"That could be considered the superhero equivalent of running with scissors, you know." Artemis stopped dead in her tracks, a smile blossoming on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked to Red, who was lounging, oh-so-nonchalantly against the wall, his fingers laced behind his head.

"Oh I'm sorry, is this a bad time? Do I need an excuse to visit you?"

"No," Artemis laughed. "But, here's the rub: I'm supposed to hate you and you're supposed to hate me. Therefore, a casual visit would look a little weird, don't you think?"

"Hey, weird is what we do best." Red said, grinning. "Where were you going so fast?"

"Oliver called, he said he needs me. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Aw, you can't blow him off?" Red said, pouting.

"Like you ever blew him off." Artemis said, smirking. "He needs me, I have to go." Artemis reached up and pulled his head down, planting a quick kiss on his mouth. "I'll see you later, though, okay?"

"Nah, I'll take you over there. Come on." Artemis paused slightly, a little worried that someone in the mountain would see them, but cast her hesitation aside and took Red's outstretched hand.

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><p>"Go!" Artemis said.<p>

"But what if I don't want to leave?"

"If you don't leave then Oliver is going to kick your ass, and then _I_ will." Artemis said teasingly, smiling despite the threat.

"Ooh, I'm shaking, tough girl." Artemis grinned at her nickname. Somewhere along the line, Red had decided that "Goddess" wasn't an adequate name for her. And so tough girl was the next best thing.

"Seriously!" Artemis laughed. "Go! I'll meet you after the mission, okay?"

"And then we'll go on a real first date." Red said. Artemis nodded, her face flushing slightly, but feeling so, so happy. She lifted her head up and fit her mouth to his – a quick kiss goodbye – or it would've been, if Red hadn't cupped her face between his hands, keeping her from breaking away. Honestly, Artemis found that she didn't care.

Until Oliver opened the door on them, that is.

"Holy – !" Oliver shouted, as shocked as they were. Artemis and Red sprang apart like they'd been electrocuted.

"You two...in here...now!" Oliver ordered, gasping, his face red. It would've been hilarious, really, if he didn't look like his head was about to explode.

"I'd rather not." Red said, trying to skip out, but Artemis wrapped her hand around his in a vise-like grip, a panicky look in her eyes. Right, Red thought, she has a complex about disappointing Oliver.

"Sit." Oliver ordered again, once they were inside. "Explain."

"What's to explain?" Artemis asked defiantly. Yeah, yeah, it was Oliver, but she _hated_ being criticized, she felt like she was some sort of freak being examined under a microscope. And he knew that.

"You two. Together." Oliver's arms were crossed and he looked angry. Not scary explosive angry, like before, but superhero angry. The kind that really could ruin someone's day. Or relationship.

"We're. Together." Artemis said, mimicking his tone and posture. Red did a double-take. He had momentarily forgotten how incredibly stubborn she could be. In the next breath, though, he couldn't believe that he had forgotten. _Artemis_ and _stubborn_ were practically synonymous.

"Artemis," Oliver said, sounding as though he wanted to say a whole lot of things but was holding them back. "You need to explain this to me."

"Why?" she shot back. "What the hell is the big deal?" Red flinched. He knew. He knew why it was freaking Oliver out. It was the reason they'd agreed to keep their relationship a secret – though Artemis thought it was because they were supposed to hate each-other.

"Vulnerability." Red said, answering her. Artemis whirled on him.

"What?" she demanded, her eyes blazing. "What does vulnerability have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with the fact that we lead dangerous lives, Artemis." Oliver said. "And we open ourselves up to being hurt every day.

"So you're saying that I'm a liability?" Artemis asked, more softly this time, her voice resonating with hurt.

"God, no!" Oliver said, backtracking immediately. "Forgiving Batman and Robin, I've never met someone who's more secretive." He paused, taking a deep breath. "But that's not the point. The point is that in every relationship – even our friendships – there is danger. If someone were to find out even one member of the Justice League's identities, they could potentially find us all. And even if that wasn't there intent, there's always blackmail, extortion. Just think of what happened when the Shadows had caught you. If you'd given away the of the Team, we all would've gone down. Relationships are dangerous because if they're discovered they can give your enemies power over you." Artemis felt cold. Her dad knew who she was.

"And me more than most, because of my spawn-of-Satan father?" Reluctantly, Oliver nodded.

"You two need to be careful." No, Artemis thought. What people needed to do was stop getting close to her, because everyone who did got hurt. Athena, her mother. She didn't want Red or any of her teammates to be next on that list.

"I need to process." Artemis said, excusing herself and making a quick getaway before either of them could stop her. No, she wasn't running away. At least that's not how she rationalized it. She was making a tactful retreat.

Artemis had been watching the sun set on a thin outcropping at the peak of the tallest building she could find for only five minutes when Red caught up to her.

"How did you find me that fast?" Artemis asked, not looking at him, her arms wrapped around her legs.

"You like being up high." Red said, smiling. "It wasn't hard. I'm not giving up on you, you know. Just because there's a risk, doesn't mean that I'll run out on us."

"I know you won't." Artemis answered, still not meeting his steady blue gaze. That was the whole problem. She knew that everyone would come after her, even though they could be killed or captured in the process. She wasn't worth that.

Finally, Artemis stood, precariously close to the edge of the building and turned to him.

"Promise me," she said, her voice slightly raised to be heard over the wind. "Promise me that you'll never come looking for me."

Even in the fading sunlight, Artemis saw Red shake his head, _no_. And she felt her heart break.

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><p>Damn Artemis. Robin thought over, a mantra in his head. She just had to go and ruin everything, didn't she? The team was successful, they were friends, as heroes and teenagers (but never both) and then she had to figure out who he was. God <em>dammit<em>!

Angrily, Robin swung down from where he was perched, landing a neat somersault. He needed to blow off some steam and he knew that he wouldn't be welcome back in the mountain after snapping at Wally earlier in the afternoon.

The bird quickly made his way through the Gotham, putting himself in needless danger, picking fights with any criminal he could find. exulting in the thrill of it. He was letting his emotions get away from him – one of Batman's number one no-nos, but he couldn't bring himself to care. For a second his thoughts flashed back to his blonde teammate. Was this why she always was so careless with her life? Because she was so angry all of the time? As soon as he thought it, Robin knew that he must be right. No one else on the team took the kind of risks she did. Then again, no one had her past – or so he was told. Batman had never fully revealed what was so wrong with her childhood.

"Ugh," Robin muttered, spinning clumsily. He'd been hit in the back of the head – hard – letting himself be taken off guard. He needed to get it together. Before he had the chance to orient himself, Robin was rushed and shoved roughly against the alley wall, a surprisingly thin, but still strong forearm crushing his throat.

"Hey Robby." Robin's blood froze and for a moment he couldn't breathe, with or without the arm constricting his windpipe. "Miss me?"

Cheshire. In the dim, post-sunset light he could see the wild mane of hair and her creepy smiling mask.

He was _so_ screwed.

Robin tried to reply, some kind of witty retort to show that he wasn't scared but nothing came to mind. Hm, maybe that was because he _was _scared. Out of his mind.

"See, Sportsmaster wanted to set the criminals of Gotham after you, but I said that I would do it. After all, we do have such fun together, don't we, bird boy?" Cheshire asked, stroking his face almost gently with a clawed finger, opening up a thin, deep gash that stretched from his forehead to chin. Robin grimaced but refused to show pain. He couldn't talk but he still had to be strong. "And who better to catch a bird than a cat?" Her claws sank into the young hero's arm, punctuating her point, proving how at her mercy he was. Robin felt sick, hearing the pure delight in her voice. She was toying with him, enjoying herself.

"You...bitch." Robin managed finally, struggling for air.

"Aw, poor birdie, can't even talk." Cheshire cooed. "Don't worry. By the time I'm through with you, you're going to sing for me."

Robin felt the alleyway start to spin, taking Cheshire along with it. There had to be some kind a sedative on her nails.

"Sleepy already? I thought Batman had made you stronger than that, Robin." Cheshire reprimanded lightly, sounding slightly like a disappointed schoolteacher. "Come on now, you should be able to stay awake," Robin was trying to do just that, fighting against the drug. He knew that if he passed out that things would go from bad to worse. He needed to stay awake and figure out a way out of this mess! "Look at you, you can barely keep your eyes open." Cheshire said in a horrible motherly tone. "Here, let me help." Robin finally screamed as she raked her claws across his neck, slicing it into five evenly cut ribbons.

"Good boy." Robin heard Cheshire's voice as if coming from the end of a long tunnel and barely felt her pat his head. "Excellent scream, I knew you had it in you."

The Boy Wonder's last conscious thought was that he wished Artemis had been here to save him from Cheshire this time.

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><p><strong>Hey guys I hate to tell you this but this story is wrapping up! Only one or two more chapters! However, there WILL be a sequel! So food for thought and au revoir!<strong>

**~Fae Faythe**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **Don't own but AM SO FREAKING HAPPY THAT TEHRE ARE NEW EPISODES!

**Author's Note: **This is it, my last thank yous for this book: **_GrayAreas, xstoriexluvrx, Bookcrazy101, Keepmoveingforward2_** (oh and this has always been a red/Artemis story, even from the beginning...just to clear things up for you!), **_Darkness Bandit, Allie, and Warrior-Wolf1!_** You guys are amazing!

**Author's Note #2: **This chapter is dedicated to **Darkness Bandit**, whose birthday was this week! Happy birthday and ENJOY!

**Author's Note Numero Tres: **OMG I cried so hard writing this chapter...

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><p>When Artemis finally showed back up at Oliver's place – after making plans to meet with Red for a <em>real<em> date later – she was still angry. And still worried. She wasn't worth anyone getting hurt over her.

"Hey, let's go." Artemis said, not waiting to find out what the mission was.

"Artemis." Oliver said, looking stricken. His comm was hanging limply from his hand.

"What?" she asked, suddenly scared. She'd never seen him look so shaken up – never. "What's wrong? Talk to me!" Artemis insisted when he didn't answer.

"Robin," he said finally. "They have Robin." For a second, Artemis didn't care. So what? Robin was a big boy, with big boy secrets, he could figure it out on his own. _She _had, for two entire days. In the next, however, Artemis berated herself. She didn't wish what happened to her on anyone – not even Robin.

Especially not Robin.

"Let's go get him then!" Artemis said, fired up. Lies or not, Robin was her go-to-guy on the team and Dick Grayson was the only kid at Gotham Academy who didn't think she was a thug and a punk. They were one and the same – and they were both her friends.

"That's not it." Oliver said, his face ashen. Artemis was suddenly struck: was this how he had looked when she was missing? "They wanted him to bait you."

Me? Artemis thought angrily. Didn't the Shadows have anything else to do than make her life a living hell? The world didn't revolve around her! And why use him as bait? Taking Robin was a sure case to get the Justice League all up your ass, not her.

"Are they stupid?" Artemis voiced aloud. "Robin equals Batman, not me."

"He wasn't the only one." Who else then? Artemis wondered. "They got your mom." All at once Artemis's world ground to a horrible, halting stop.

"_M? tôi_?" Artemis asked, her voice raspy and small, collapsing onto the couch, her legs unable to hold her up any more. My mom? No... "_Nh?ng ng__?__?i kh?n m? tôi_?" Those bastards took my mom? Artemis jumped up, anger, _fury_ quickly replacing anguish. "_I'll kill them! I'll _kill _them!_"

"Artemis, I can't understand you. English, Leia, English." Oliver said, trying to use the nickname to soothe her.

"_I will kill them. They can hurt me, they can hurt Leaguers but the _cannot_ hurt my mother! Where are they?_" Artemis demanded, her eyes burning holes into Oliver's. The senior archer was horrified that the Shadows would go to this length – he wished that they would just leave Artemis _alone! _She was just a kid, for the love of God!

"Artemis! I don't know what you're saying to me! Talk to me!" Oliver couldn't help but feel disconcerted by the trapped look in Artemis's eyes – she hadn't looked at him like this since she'd been brought to the Hall of Justice against her will and had broken out of the holding room that she'd woken up in.

"I'm going to kill them." Artemis said, finally in English. "I will kill them all." She wasn't angry anymore, she was cold. Emotionless. Dead. Dead and determined. Oliver saw something shatter behind her eyes , something that should not have broken, ever. And honestly, it scared him. "Let's go." Artemis said with a cold determination.

"No, you're not coming." Oliver said, making a snap-decision.

"You can't stop me." Her voice was hard.

"They want _you, _Artemis, and they're not going to get you – not when I can help it." Before Artemis could move, before she could fight back or protest, Oliver had loosed an arrow and shot it into the floor right between her feet, emitting noxious fumes that left her choking and gasping as the room swirled around her...

* * *

><p>When Artemis woke up her head was spinning and it hurt like hell.<p>

Damn, she thought when everything came back to her. Not angrily, not hurt. Just damn. She should've seen his use of the chloroform arrow coming, especially since she invented it. Artemis tried to get up, but found that she was tethered to the desk with one of Batman's handcuffs around her wrist. And there was a note:

_Don't pick this._ Oliver mandated via his messy, sprawling handwriting. Artemis contemplated the handcuffs, looking at them in a clinical, detached way that was so, so different from her usual, fiery take on everything. Ignoring the message, Artemis snapped the handcuffs off with a quick twist of her wrist – what, you really think that after the last time she had been caught in those that she wouldn't figure out how to get out of them?

Rubbing her wrist, Artemis took a little black box out of her utility belt and switched it on. She'd never had to use it before, but there was a first time for everything. Oliver had told her when she'd become a hero that there were tracers in all of their suits, should they ever get lost or – in Robin's case – captured, so now, all she had to do was lock onto Robin's signal and follow the rest of the Leaguers to wherever he and her mom were being held.

"Signal found." The tracking device said, a red light blinking before the coordinates showed up on the screen. Artemis looked at the location, coolly registering that she'd been there before: her father had "interrogated" a man in there. In front of her. Calmly, Artemis grabbed her bag and armed herself, then moved out.

"What's the plan, Obi Wan?" Artemis asked into her comm when she arrived outside the building.

"You picked the cuffs." It wasn't a question.

"Did you expect me not to?" Artemis replied. She didn't wait for a written invitation to go in, but instead shot an arrow into the wall and climbed up into a third story window. She knew here the captives would be held.

"A guy can hope. Artemis don't do anything stupid, alright? We have it under control." Green Arrow paused, slightly wary. "Just go home, okay? Go home."

"Not a chance."

"But – " Artemis turned off her comm, not caring what he had to say anymore. She knew now that they weren't in the building yet. Which meant that she was the only one that was going to do anything without a three-hour strategic session.

Her mom didn't have the strength to last that long.

Making sure that she had every weapon on her as humanely possible, Artemis picked her way through the stacks of empty crates, careful not to make a sound as she opened a door that lead out onto a catwalk, high above the main area of the warehouse. Artemis perched herself on the railing and peered down to the scene unfolding some fifteen feet below her: Sportsmaster was standing in front of Robin, his face dangerously close to the young hero, who was being held up by his arms...which were held above his head, chained to the ceiling. Paula Crock was tied to a pole, her arms forced behind her. She was slumped and limp, held too high for her unusable legs to hold her up, but still conscious, Artemis could tell by her pitched, rapid breathing. No one who was knocked out hyperventilated.

It didn't look like Sportsmaster was going to give Robin a respite any time soon... Artemis needed a distraction.

"Hey Ollie, make some noise." Artemis breathed into her comm."

"Dammit Artemis, are you inside the building?" GA demanded.

"Give me a distraction or I'll blow something up and that will really diminish the likelihood of Robin's survival." Artemis delivered her ultimatum and switched off again. She was going to give them three seconds. One...two...thr –

A ear-shattering _BOOM_ resonated from the outside of the building and even from her high vantage point, Artemis could see the sadistic gleam in her father's eyes, the evil smile that lit up his entire face.

"Looks like your friends are coming to get you." Cheshire purred, stalking out of the shadows. "Let's go give them a warm welcome, shall we, old man?"

"Let's." Sportsmaster agreed, grinning. Artemis waited until she was sure that they were gone before lightly stepping off of the railing and plummeting to the concrete floor, stopping herself with her grappling gun only at the last second. Eh, she thought, she really didn't need the gun. Fifteen feet wasn't that high up. Not enough to kill her, anyways.

For a second, Robin didn't even seem to see her, his eyes milky and unfocused.

"Hey. Bird Brain!" Artemis whispered. No response. "Hey, talk to me." Artemis said, lightly slapping him across the face. In an instant, Robin's face animated, coming back to life.

"Artemis?" he rasped, then his voice hardened, becoming angry. "What the hell are you doing here? Get out, it's a trap!"

"Robin, shut up." Artemis said icily. "If they find me here they'll kill you – hopefully before I do. I know it's a trap, why else would I come in alone. Now be quiet." Robin's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, shocked into silence. Who _was _this girl and what the hell had she done with Artemis? Artemis wasn't cold and clinical, she was angry and emotional. At least she was _human_. This Artemis-clone didn't even seem to have that much in common with his teammate. Robin remained silent while she made quick work of unchaining him.

"Thanks." Robin said, rubbing his shoulders. Arms weren't meant to bend that way.

"Don't thank me. I got you out first because I need you functional." Functional? What the hell did that mean?

"What's your plan?" Robin asked, because clearly she had one, though it seemed like it was convoluted and dangerous. More like the old Artemis, without the sarcasm.

"The plan is for you to get my mom out of here and not get shot. Can you do that?" Artemis asked, her tone condescending.

"And that leaves you to..."

"I'm going to kill them both." Artemis said, her voice so matter-of-fact that it sent chills down Robin's spine. Something was wrong with her, something was completely, totally wrong. She'd flipped some kind of switch in her mind. He thought that she'd had no sense of self-preservation before but that was nothing on the way she was acting now.

"Oh are you?" a smug voice echoed through the warehouse. "Kid, for someone trained by the best, you are damn predictable sometimes."

"I can only assume that the best means you." Artemis said calmly, turning to Sportsmaster with her arms crossed over her chest. In another world, she could've been in a kitchen, having a fight with her dad about GPAs and boyfriends. Artemis didn't _look_ like she was gearing up for a fight, but Robin knew better.

"Someday that mouth is going to get you into trouble, Artie." Sportsmaster snarled.

"Not today." Artemis, faster than she ever had before, whipped a smoke bomb from her belt and smashed in down into the ground.

"Get my mom out of here," she mandated.

"No." Robin protested. "You can't do this alone."

"The entire League is outside." Artemis reminded him. "I can handle myself. Get her out and don't get hurt." Artemis saw the reluctance in Robin's eyes but she didn't care. The Shadows had finally gone too far. She was going to make them pay.

"Where are you, kiddo?" Sportsmaster's voice drawled through the fog. "If you think it was bad before, you've got another thing coming. I'm not holding back this time."

"Then neither will we." No! Artemis thought. This was a break in her plan that she wasn't prepared for.

"And who's this?" Sportsmaster asked, sounding almost parental. "It wouldn't be my girl's new boyfriend, now would it?" Red, get out of here! Artemis thought, her icy shell cracking somewhat. "Red Arrow, is it?" Son of a bitch. He knew.

"No, that wouldn't be it." Artemis said loudly, shooting an arrow in the direction of her father's voice. Now she remembered why smoke-screens sucked – she couldn't see a damn thing!

"Artemis! _Con gái_! Get out of there!" Well, now that her plan was shot to hell...

"Robin!" Artemis shouted. "Get her the hell out of here! _Now_!"

"Well isn't that sweet." Of course. Cheshire was right behind her. Artemis whirled, knives in hand, only to be met with a _clang_ as her weapon bounced off of her aunt's three-pronged knife.

"She's...your..._sister_...you bitch!" Artemis said, every word punctuated by a clang, blocked by Cheshire.

"Family has its limits. But you know that, don't you Artie?" Cheshire took a step out of her niece's ranger, grinning. "You wouldn't join us, and look what's happening because if it. Soon your mother and your friends will all be dead and you'll be ours. See how you like it _then._" Artemis stopped, letting Cheshire gloat for the moment, smiling, waiting for her to attack, then...her knife entered her aunt's stomach with a wet thunk and Artemis ripped off her mask with her free hand.

Jade's eyes were wide, shocked that Artemis had managed to get her at last.

"I know that better than anyone." Artemis whispered, twisting the knife in her aunt's gut then wrenching it out. Jade crumpled to the floor, unmoving.

Artemis whirled back toward the fray, energized by her victory. The smoke was clearing – Artemis couldn't see her mother anywhere, which meant that she was hiding or safe, but Robin and Red were both battling it out with masked goons who seemingly appeared from no where. And they were losing badly. Artemis was about to jump in to aid her friends when the door crashed in from the outside and the League poured in in a flood of Spandex.

Sportsmaster swore from the other side of the warehouse, then took a handgun from his belt, aimed and shot.

No. It was happening all over again. The anger, desperation, everything that Artemis had turned off returned with a vengeance, filling her, boiling her blood. Artemis was in motion before the bullet made it out of the barrel, her feet pounding on the concrete. She had to make it. Artemis shoved Robin out of the way, spinning to put herself in front of him.

Suddenly everything went quiet. Artemis's mouth opened, but if she screamed, she couldn't hear it. It felt like someone had punched her in the chest wearing iron knuckles. The room tilted, and then she was on the ground. Artemis absently wondered how that had happened. She didn't remember falling down. She looked down at the rosebud of red blooming on her green top. How very floral. But besides the rose of blood, there was no color that she could see...it had been leeched out of her world.

As soon as the sound had ceased, it came back again, in full volume, making Artemis's head spin.

"Artemis." Robin's face was above hers, his eyes haunted behind his mask. "No, don't do this!"

She was dying, Artemis realized that now. Wasn't dying supposed to hurt? Artemis wondered. She didn't feel anything. "Grayson...don't beat yourself up over this." Her voice was small. "You've got to be a pretty special kid for two Crock sisters to die for you."

"No, Artemis you're not going to die." Robin said stubbornly, tears trekking down his face.

"That was a 9x19mm Walther P99 German semi-automatic pistol." Artemis said calmly. "I'm dying." Her breath was coming shorter now. "Sorry I was such a bitch...I don't care if you're Robin or Dick Grayson...you're still...my friend..."

"Artemis?" Oh no. No, Artemis didn't want Red to see her like this.

But selfishly...she still wanted to see him.

"Artemis!" The sound of her boyfriend's anguish ripped through Artemis's heart, doing more damage than any bullet could. Red knelt down next to her, taking her hand in his. "Oh my God," he said, seeing the state she was in.

"Red..." Artemis gasped, her voice quiet. "Sorry we never...got that date..." she had to pause, catch her breath. "I wish we...had more time." With the last of her strength, Artemis lifted her head up and gently pressed her lips to his and he kissed her back passionately before Artemis had to break away. She wanted a memory of that last kiss. "Take care of Oliver for me...and my mom..." Artemis gasped, coughing up blood. "I...I love...you guys..." Artemis couldn't speak any more, but she found that she didn't want to. There, making her way through the crowd of villains and heroes doing battle was someone she had been missing – the piece of her that had been missing.

"Hey, sis," a voice Artemis had only heard in her dreams said, a little sadly. Artemis closed her eyes and smiled herself, her mouth still in the shape of her last word:

"Athena..."

* * *

><p><strong>END OF BOOK 1<strong>


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